Let Us Prey
by Dark Amystika
Summary: Darry's life is saved by a girl enslaved to the Creeper, a girl who's little more than an empty shell devoid of thought or feeling other than fear. Who is she? Why is she still alive? What does the Creeper want from her? Pleaz R&R!
1. Saved

**Disclaimer: **I don't own "Jeepers Creepers" or anything in it so don't sue me.

Saved

Darry screamed and struggled as the Creeper half dragged, half carried him down the pipe-lined hallway under some abandoned factory miles away from civilization. He was going to his death and he knew it. Jezelle, that psychic bitch – she lied! She said, or at least indicated, that Trish was the one she had seen "screaming in the dark". Somehow, though, Darry felt he knew all along he was the one who was going to die. He had never really thought much about his own death, but he knew he didn't want it to be this. He wondered briefly what the Creeper wanted from him, what it "liked" in him. He got his answer soon enough.

All of a sudden the Creeper hoisted him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him down on a table, pinning him down and grinning down at him. Darry struggled uselessly, making the Creeper laugh at him. Darry choked, barely able to breathe, as he stared up in undisguised terror at the monster above him.

"Listen," he wheezed. "Please don't kill me!" It sounded pathetic, but what else was there to say? The Creeper didn't respond. It just hissed and raised its claws over Darry's face, lowering them slowly, tauntingly, towards his left eye. Both Darry's eyes widened in horror when he realized exactly what the Creeper wanted from him. "For the love of God, no! Please!" he cried. With a last despairing cry, he squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain. But it didn't come.

_"No!"_

Darry's eyes snapped open and he looked around, wondering who had cried out. He was shocked to see a girl, a living, breathing girl, standing just a few feet from the table, staring at the Creeper with huge emerald eyes, her long-fingered hands clasped at her chest. There was fear and desperation in her eyes, as well as the beginnings of tears. For a moment Darry couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. Then something clicked in his brain – this girl, whoever she was, was _alive_ and had all her body parts! Not only that, but she spoke to the Creeper as though she knew him personally, and she seemed to be more afraid for Darry's sake than of the Creeper himself…itself? Whatever. Darry found himself just staring at her, but she didn't seem to notice. She just stared at the Creeper unblinking, hands shaking.

"Please," she whispered. "Let him go. Don't kill him. Please." The Creeper hissed at her and swiped at her with his free hand. The girl shrieked and jumped back, immediately dropping to the ground and curling up small, her hands at her temples, her face turned down but her eyes still looking up, fixed on the demonic visage. Then, to Darry's abject horror, the Creeper himself spoke:

"Why should I?" he rasped in a voice like a serrated knife blade being dragged across sandpaper. He probably needed a new voice box, but Darry didn't want to think about Creeper anatomy at the moment.

"You can _talk!"_ he gasped without thinking. The Creeper's grip on his throat tightened and Darry gagged, struggling to breathe.

"Stop it!" cried the girl wretchedly, rising slowly to her feet but clearly ready to drop back to the ground at any moment. What horrors had she lived through, Darry wondered, to make her so jumpy? Slowly, very slowly, the girl approached the Creeper. "Please," she said again softly. "Not him. Let him go. Find yourself another victim if you must, but let him go." Silence descended, save for the Creeper's growling breaths and Darry's ragged breathing. A crystalline tear made its way down the girl's cheek. "Please. It's not fair."

With an agitated snarl, the Creeper lifted Darry by his throat and veritably threw him at the girl, who caught and steadied him. "He can never leave," growled the Creeper. The girl only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The Creeper approached her menacingly. "You will regret this," he hissed in her face. She looked away and nodded again. With a strange sort of almost-roar, he vanished, or at least seemed to vanish. Darry just stared, shaking uncontrollably, at the spot where the Creeper had stood an instant before. By and by he remembered the girl who had saved him and looked to her. Her skin was ice-white, as was her shoulder-length hair which was tied back. In fact, only her lips and eyes had any colour to them. She looked like a living ghost or something, though she was oddly attractive.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly. "I mean, aside from the obvious. Are you hurt?" Darry didn't – couldn't – respond. He just stared at the girl, incredulous. She gazed up at him, ineffable sadness in her fathomless green eyes. She sighed and glanced over him briefly, scanning for any injuries. Her eyes came to rest on the bleeding scratches on his shoulder. "Ouch," she commented, reaching out towards them. Instinctively Darry shied away. She looked up at him, mildly surprised. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Those cuts don't look deep, but they should at least be cleaned out to prevent infection. Please, just let me help you." Her tone was so gentle but with a strong undercurrent of sadness, like a knell. He could see a lifetime of unshed tears hiding behind her eyes, threatening to break loose at any time. She was telling the truth; she meant him no harm. He relaxed a little and nodded. She gave a faint smile and guided him over to a stool near the table where just moments before he had been pinned down, begging for his life. He watched the girl as she fished a large cotton ball out of a bag and opened a fat, unlabeled brown bottle, putting the cotton ball over the top and upending it briefly before righting it and setting it back down. Darry could smell hydrogen peroxide; undoubtedly that was what was in the bottle and now on the cotton ball. The girl turned to him.

"Could you move your shirt, please?" she asked politely and somewhat formally. A little puzzled, Darry did as she requested. "This might sting, since the cuts are still open," she warned before gently swabbing the gashes with the peroxide-soaked cotton. Darry hissed slightly as the cuts began to foam, but didn't move away. "I'm sorry," said the girl, blowing lightly on the cuts to take the sting off and dry the peroxide. She finished quickly and tossed the cotton ball in a nearby trashcan. That done, she turned back to the table and recapped the peroxide bottle.

"Thanks," said Darry softly – the first thing he had said to her.

"You're welcome," she replied, not turning back to him. He looked at her thoughtfully, taking advantage of her position to examine her in a rather impolite way, though not inappropriate. She wore a black vest, zipped up far enough to cover everything, black pants with two buckles above both knees, and steel-toed black combat boots. Her ears both had two piercings. In the first ones she wore serpentine metal dragons with red jewel eyes and tiny daggers in the second holes. Around her neck was a grey sword stabbing a grey heart from which two drops of red blood flowed, hanging on a velvet cord. In sum, she didn't look like the kind of girl you'd expect to see cowering in fear.

"Uh, if you don't mind my asking," he said hesitantly, "who are you? How did you get down here with that…that _thing?"_ The girl gave a mirthless laugh through her nose.

"I found this place," she said. "I led him here, really. He follows me; I follow him. No one's really sure just how it works anymore, including me."

"What's your name?" asked Darry.

"Uh…Antares Starr," the girl replied after a moment's hesitation, as though she couldn't remember her own name. " 'Starr' has two 'R's." She still made no move to face him. Darry wondered why.

"I'm Darry. Darry Jenner," he said. Antares laughed through closed lips, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted with something.

"Is that who you _are_, or your _name?"_ she asked. Darry wondered if that was meant to be a challenge of some kind.

"Both?" he said uncertainly. "I don't know. I never thought about it like that."

"Few people have," Antares answered, "don't worry about it." She started whistling softly (thankfully _not_ "Jeepers Creepers"!) as she continued turning whatever was in her hands over and over. Darry wondered why she wouldn't look at him.

"So, uh, what are you doing down here?" he asked. "And why are you still…y'know, alive?" Antares sighed and put both hands down on the table, closing her eyes and tilting her head back a little. With a small smile she looked at him.

"No one's ever asked me _that_ before, I must say," she commented dryly. "But I guess I understand. After all, those who get this close to Creeper usually end up dead, right? Well, the girl Antares died some time ago within this cold and empty shell. I am nothing."

"Would you just answer the frickin' question?" snapped Darry, his voice rising unintentionally in his frustration and fear.

"Chill," said Antares coolly. She pulled another stool from under the table and sat on it opposite Darry. "I could tell you it's a long story, but that would be a lie. It's actually very simple. I, not unlike you and your sister, had a little run-in with the Creeper. And, as you can tell, it ended badly…"


	2. Condemned

Condemned

"I was camping with my family and two best friends in the woods. That was earlier this month, before Spring Break. We had a long weekend, and the weather was beautiful. The woods were magnificent, trees, flowers, and bushes alike in full bloom. There was a river deep in the forest, and it was laughing merrily, fed by the melting snows from the mountains. We pitched camp next to it, near where the river met the lake. I woke late in the night – don't ask why, I don't know. I went and sat by the river's edge, dangling my bare feet in the frigid water, gazing up at the night sky. The sky was unbelievably clear and full of stars. The moon was full and luminous, an orb of silver glass. I lay back, looking at the constellations and telling myself their stories. I was almost asleep when I saw a black shadow flit across the moon. I figured it was just a bat and didn't think about it. That is, not until it came back. I could see its shape was humanoid, and it was getting bigger, coming closer. I sat up, curious, trying to see what it was. When I realized, I screamed. Not exactly from fear, but to warn the others. My friends and I knew the stories of the Creeper – every twenty-third spring for twenty-three days it gets to eat, and all that – but we never believed they were any more than campfire tales. Before I could run, Creeper was on me, holding me off my feet by my throat. He made this disgusting sniffing sound and seemed…surprised, somehow. Maybe because I wasn't afraid of _him_…I was afraid of what he would _do_. I didn't want to die, but I cared more for my family and friends who were just coming out of the tents behind me. Creeper just ignored them, focusing on me intently and with great interest. He licked my face, which was probably the grossest thing that has ever happened to me, and looked over my shoulder at my parents. My dad had his shotgun, but he just stared at Creeper, horror-struck and unbelieving.

" 'What the hell are you!' he demanded shakily. I think somehow he knew the gun in his hands would do him no good.

" 'Ana!' yelled my best friend Caitlin. 'Let her go, you freak!' Creeper just laughed and spread his wings so suddenly that I gave a start, causing me to choke against his hand. My dad cried out and raised his gun.

" 'No don't!' cried my other best friend, Courtney. 'It won't do any good! And you might hit Antares!' Dad didn't lower the gun, but he didn't shoot either. Something in me told me I wasn't going to last the night, and they wouldn't either if they didn't leave.

" 'I love you all,' I whispered. Suddenly Creeper wrapped both his arms around me, pinning me against him, and took flight. I reached down towards my family desperately, though I knew I could never reach them. I didn't scream again, or fight. If I fought and he did drop me, the fall would kill me anyway. Then again, at least that would've killed me quickly. I had to close my eyes to keep from being sick – I have this terrible fear of heights – and I just tried to think about anything other than dying by the monstrous hands of this creature who had abducted me. I'll never know where we went, but suddenly I was falling, sliding fast down a chute of some kind. I landed in a cavern that reeked of blood and death and pain. I looked around slowly, my eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. I wish to the gods that they hadn't. I saw them. The corpses of the others, all sewn together like some sort of human tapestry, hung on all the walls and ceiling. I was sick then, just as Creeper came down and joined me. I backed away from him, tried to run away, anywhere, but he caught me quickly, too easily. He held me still and leaned close to me. I tried to pull away from him – the smell was horrendous – but he was too strong. He began to make this sickening sucking noise, and I felt strange. I felt like part of me was being drained away, pulled out of me and into him, and I didn't like it. I felt weak, unable to fight soon. And I heard him telling me, from far away it seemed, that he wanted something from me that he couldn't get from anyone else. He didn't want an organ or a body part; to him those are a dime a dozen. He wanted my…_spirit._ That's what he was taking from me. That's what he takes from me every night, whether I like it or not. I can't get away from him. I can never escape."

Antares broke off and looked away. Darry was dumbfounded. How could he believe everything he had just heard? Then again, with everything he'd seen and heard, how could he not? He heard a strange, shuddering sound and looked up again. Antares was crying silently, her hand against her forehead, eyes closed.

"I knew better than to disobey him," she whispered, and it seemed she was not talking to Darry. "But to do what he did…just because of that…"

"What did he do?" asked Darry, trying to make his voice gentle. Antares didn't answer, just moved her right hand on her leg a little. Darry glanced down at it and stared in horror. He had been wrong when he assumed she had all her body parts – her right index finger was missing, cut clean off, not even a stump left where it had been as though it had never been at all.

"Oh my God," he said softly. "Oh my God."

"He doesn't care," said Antares bitterly. "In _that_ you can trust." Darry looked at her again, wondering what he could possibly say.

_'Well, for once, I don't see how you can make things any worse,'_ offered a voice in the back of his head. It wasn't exactly helpful. Uncertainly he scooted his stool over by her and put his hands on her shoulders. She looked back at him a little quizzically, then looked down and sighed.

"The things I've done," she said quietly. "The things he made me do…"

"What happened to you?" asked Darry wonderingly.

"He makes me find his hideouts when forces are rallied against him in one place," she answered emotionlessly. "He makes me help him stitch the bodies together, hang them up like decorations, destroy them when the time comes for us to leave. I tried to run away once and he caught me and brought me back. That time he only warned me that my punishment would be worse were I to try again. I was so desperate that I didn't heed him and ran again. That was the time I lost my finger. I nearly lost my whole damn hand because he refused to let me dress the wound and it got infected. He warned me that the next time he would make me beg for death, for sweet release that would never come. I haven't tried since." The phrase "Oh my God" was on Darry's tongue again, but he swallowed it. Slowly he put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She resisted at first, looking at him in surprise, but then slowly relaxed and leaned against him. They sat together thus for a time, each contemplating the mystery of the other. By and by, Darry spoke again:

"By the way," he said, "thank you." Antares looked up at him, a sculpted silver eyebrow cocked questioningly. "For saving my life," explained Darry.

"Oh," said Antares, understanding. "You're welcome."

"Why did you do that, anyway?" asked Darry. "Won't he…I mean…"

"Yes, he will," said Antares, almost in exasperation but not directed at Darry. "I don't care. I couldn't let him. I couldn't stand the screaming…" her voice trailed off for a moment and she gazed off into space. "I've never been in time to save any of them. Any of the victims. I almost saved Jason – poor Jason, whom you met under the church. His lungs…that's what Creeper took from him. But I was too late to save him. Then last night, I dreamed of Creeper's next victim. I heard that abominable song playing. I heard the horrible tortured screams mixing with the music in a demonic sort of symphony. And I saw the eyeless corpse of a brown-haired boy hanging in a factory basement; the first of many, undoubtedly. I couldn't let that happen. I sought a way to prevent it. I was the one who warned Creeper that the time to find a new hideout was nigh, and sought an abandoned factory somewhere nearby. I told him I wanted to stay there, away from him, until he came. He understood, knowing how I hate him. I've been waiting for him to bring you here all day. I couldn't let him kill you. I couldn't let him steal your eyes. Your eyes are beautiful; they don't belong in a face so hideous as his." Darry just blinked in surprise. No one outside his family had ever told him he had beautiful eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly, uncertainly. Antares nodded but didn't speak for a time.

"I only hope I didn't do you a great disservice in saving you," she said quietly. "The horrors of this life…of living like this…"

"No," said Darry gently but firmly. "I'd rather be alive. You've been alone all this time, but now there's two of us. Together, we might be able to-"

"No!" Antares pulled away and stared at him in shock and fear. "Don't even think it! I learned my lesson; I'm never running away again. I can't."

Darry just looked at her for a moment. "You couldn't do it alone," he said at last. "But you're not alone anymore. There has to be a way to get away from him. He's not here all the time, right?" Antares shook her head.

"He always knows where I am," she whispered. "Sometimes I think he can hear anything I say or think. I don't know how, but he always knows how to find me." She was absently scratching at a thin red scar on the crook of her arm and Darry looked at it with interest.

"What happened there?" he asked. She looked up at him, then down at her arm where he was pointing. She gave a small shrug.

"Dunno," she said. "It was just there one day when I woke up." She sighed and dropped her arms. Turning to face him, she said, "C'mon. Let's talk somewhere else, somewhere that doesn't reek of impending doom." At her beckoning gesture, Darry rose and followed her.


	3. Not Alone Anymore

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Blood Tears".

**A/N:** I feel it's only fair to say that I update as soon as I get a review, and I only have 6 completed chapters so far. After that, I'm afraid you'll have to be patient and read them as I write them. But summer draws nigh and I should have more time.

Not Alone Anymore  


Antares led Darry into a small room devoid of pipes. It was sparsely furnished with a low bed with red sheets and a black comforter, a couple beanbags scattered around, a nightstand with a lamp, a dresser with some candles and an incense burner on it, and a small refrigerator against one wall. Antares went over to the dresser, stuck a stick of incense into the burner, and lit it with an expertly struck match. That done, she lit the candles with the match before blowing it out and pinching out the stick after a moment, letting it smoke. She turned back to Darry.

"I hope that doesn't bother you," she said, indicating the incense. "I just can't stand the smell down here. Anywhere he goes it immediately smells like him."

"No, it's OK," said Darry. "I don't mind." Antares nodded and gestured to the fridge.

"Hungry?" she asked. Darry nodded after a moment's consideration. Antares went to the fridge and opened it.

"I don't have much," she said apologetically, "and I'm a strict vegetarian. I just can't eat meat anymore, not after…well, you know." Darry nodded, then remembered Antares's back was to him.

"Yeah, I understand," he said. "Whatever you have, I don't care."

"K," said Antares, rummaging around. Darry looked around the room, looking to see if she had a stereo since he heard someone singing. When he didn't see one, he realized it was Antares singing. He gazed at her, curious, listening to her:

_"Welcome to my realm;  
We're both condemned to live__  
It's a dark fate, I__  
can hear your calls__  
I can hear your calls__  
The eternal life_

_Can't hold it, it burns  
Each night I cry in pain_

_Alive,  
Though the end appears, my friend  
And blood tears I cry__  
You've searched, and you've found__  
Cut off your old friend's hand_

_My mind's in frozen dreams  
Rotten flesh of bitter lies__  
Welcome to where Time stands still__  
No one leaves, and no one ever will_

_I see it still burns  
Each night I cry in pain_

_And blood tears I cry  
Endless grief remained inside__  
And blood tears I cry__  
Endless grief remained inside_

_It seems so clearly  
Bent, the bow  
'Cus life in me is gone_  
_And a cruel wind's blowing cold__  
And a cruel wind's blowing cold__  
In blame_

_And life, it shall wane  
Each night I cry in pain_

_And blood tears I cry  
Endless grief remained inside__  
Cut off your old friend's hand."_

Both the song and her clear voice were heartbreakingly mournful, and Darry found himself blinking tears from his eyes. Antares straightened, kicked the fridge door shut, and turned back to Darry with two black plastic bowls in her hands.

"This is about all I've got left," she said apologetically. "Fruit salad or garden salad with no dressing, though I have a couple dressing packets if you like."

"You take your pick," said Darry. Antares nodded and handed him the fruit salad, which he accepted and started on hungrily. Antares sat on the bed and gestured for him to join her, which he did. She hoped the glucose in the fruit would help Darry calm down, as he was very clearly still shaking, try as he might to hide it. The two ate in silence for a short while, each wrapped in their own private thoughts. Presently, Antares broke the stillness:

"It's not 'beating you', by the way," she said conversationally.

"Hmm?" asked Darry, glancing up.

"The license plate. It's not 'beating you'."

Darry blinked in surprise at the randomness of the statement, and curiosity. "What is it, then?"

"Break it down a little more; you were close."

"I don't get it."

"Three words, not two. B-E-A-T-N-G-U. 'Be eating you', as in _he'll_ be eating _you."_

Darry grimaced. "Oh," he said in a small voice. Antares nodded.

"It's his sick joke. I told him it was disgusting when I figured it out. He just laughed at me and said, 'But they can't say I didn't warn them!' Like anyone takes those plates literally. A guy I knew in school got stuck with plates that said 'PMS-247'. He got made fun of, sure, 'cus he couldn't afford designer plates, but no one seriously believed he got PMS. There's no point in trying to apply rational human logic to what he does. He's a frickin' madman, a sociopathic zoophagous freak of Nature. Evolution's little joke, I guess." Darry nodded this time. He considered her for a moment.

"How long have you been here?" he asked. "With him, I mean."

"I was his first this spring," she answered solemnly. Darry's eyes widened.

"My God," he said softly. "You've had to live like this all this time? Wow, you must be pretty damn strong. I don't know if I could make it through all this. Honestly, I was on the verge of screaming for my mom when the Creeper brought me here." Antares gave a little laugh.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," she said. "I already have. She didn't hear me, unfortunately. No one can."

_"I _can," said Darry gently. Antares looked at him quizzically. "I can hear you. I'm listening. You can talk to me." Antares smiled.

"That's all I could ask for right now," she said. "Well, all I could ask for and hope to receive. It's nice to have someone to talk to who understands. No one should have to, but still…it's nice." She sighed and looked away for a moment. "I used to spend all my time alone, locked in my room writing stories, listening to music, enjoying my own company. I thought that coming out to eat dinner with my family and occasionally watching TV with them on the weekends was enough. Now I'm terrified of being alone. It wasn't enough; there's no such thing as enough time with those you love who love you. I should've spent every spare second with them, telling them I loved them all. They knew, I know they knew, but still, I wish I could tell them again."

"You said you did," said Darry. "Before that thing carried you off, you said you said you loved them all. Last thing I said to my sister was 'Don't you be a hero!' Real warm and fuzzy, huh?" Antares shrugged. Darry sighed and gazed off into space for a moment. "How much time is left?"

"Say what?" asked Antares, turning to face him.

"How much time does it have left?" asked Darry. Antares thought a moment.

"Three, maybe four days," she said slowly. "What's the date today?"

"Uh, if it's not past midnight by now, then April ninth," replied Darry.

"The Spring Equinox was the twentieth of March," said Antartes contemplatively. "So the twenty-three days should end…April eleventh, give or take. We have just a little more than two days left."

"What's he going to do with us?" asked Darry. "What do you know about this thing?"

"Not much more than you, honestly," said Antares with a shrug. "He hibernates for twenty-three years and then gorges himself on living human flesh. Never animals, though – can't stand the taste. Nothing kills him, little hurts him, and a lot of the time even if he doesn't want something from a person he might kill them anyway just for the hell of it. As long as he can eat and regenerate any broken or mutilated body parts or organs, he won't die. As for what he's going to do with us, well…I found him building some sort of stasis chamber last week. I have a feeling that it's meant for me so I'll survive the next twenty-three years without food or anything, and without being able to run away."

"God, that's awful," said Darry softly.

"I tried to destroy it," she said, "or at least damage it, keep him from finishing it in time. I don't know what he would have done with me then, but it didn't work. He found me, fixed his machine, and threatened to take another of my fingers. He didn't. He made me stitch together the bodies of his victims from that night, swearing to make me _eat_ them if I didn't. Now I don't even know where the damned pod is. I wouldn't do anything to it if I did. I've started to believe that I only exist in his presence now."

"No, that's not true!" said Darry fiercely. Antares looked up at him mildly. "You know that's not true," he said in a gentler tone. "You can't let that thing beat you down. That's how he controls you; you're afraid of him. But I think he's afraid of you in a way. He can't let you get away because you said there's no one else like you."

"No, I said that the likelihood of there being someone else like me is not promising," Antares corrected him. "But I hear what you're saying. I just can't help being afraid of him."

"I'm scared of him too," said Darry. "You'd have to be crazy not to be scared."

"Crazy and alive," Antares pointed out. Darry made a gesture of assent. Antares sighed and hugged her knees, having set aside her empty salad bowl a while back. She rested her chin on her knees thoughtfully, gazing out into space for a while. Presently, she looked back at Darry.

"What time is it, do you know?" she asked.

"Uh, no," said Darry. "I think it was just getting light outside when the Creeper brought me here. Wherever we are, we're pretty far from the road my sister and I were on. Or maybe it was just a lot later than I thought. Either way, I'm tired."

"Me too," agreed Antares. "I know there's not much room here, but…" she broke off as she got up and started moving beanbags together to form a sort of makeshift bed. That done, she pulled two of the blankets off her bed and put them over the beanbags. She turned to Darry. "You can take the bed. I don't sleep much anymore, so it doesn't really matter to me."

"Oh, no, that's OK-" began Darry, but Antares held up her hand.

"I insist," she said. "You've been through hell, the least I can do is give you a real bed to sleep in. I'll be fine." Her tone was soft as always, but she was firm. Darry knew the look she was giving him: it was the same as the one Trish used when she was adamant about something.

"All right," he said. Tired, the two kicked off their shoes and lay down in their beds.


	4. Retribution

**A/N:** Darkinyron - Aw, that's one of the nicest reviews I've ever gotten! Thanks a lot!

Retribution

Antares smiled at Darry as she settled herself on the beanbags, drawing the blankets over herself. Darry kicked off his high-tops and slid under the blankets she had left for him on the bed. As he did, his foot hit something soft near the bottom of the bed. Curious, he reached down and pulled out…a teddy bear. A very soft, albeit somewhat coarse, brown teddy bear with a slightly squashed suede nose, a bearish smile sewn on his mouth, and in his eyes the same gentle sagacity that one sees in the eyes of a grandparent. His fur was worn away in a few patches, and he had obviously been well-loved for a long time. Smiling at the bear, Darry turned to Antares.

"Friend of yours?" he asked. Antares looked up and immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Yeah," she mumbled, reaching out for the bear. Darry smiled at her and handed it to her. "I've had him since I was born. The first gift my grandma ever gave me, and the first toy I ever had. I always liked to hold him when I was sick or scared. He's been my only solace for almost a month." Darry nodded understandingly.

"What's his name?" he asked, lying on his back with his hands under his head.

"Benji," answered Antares. "His tag says 'Benjamin', but I've always only known him as Benji. I think my mom gave him that name." She sighed and smiled as she stroked the bear's ears fondly. "I know it's silly, a sixteen-year-old having a teddy bear, but I like stuffed animals. Besides, he's special; he's been in my family for a long time. I planned to give him to my children someday."

"Mine's named Growlie," said Darry, gazing up at the ceiling. Antares looked at him in surprise. Darry smiled at her. "My old teddy bear. His name's Growlie. I know, it's a pretty dumb name, but I got him when I was three. It seemed like a good name at the time, and then I just didn't really pay much attention to him anymore so his name didn't matter." Antares smiled at him.

"I really wanted him the first few days," she said. "Benji, I mean. I would've grabbed him from the tent if I could've. I found him lying on my bed one day. Since he smelled like Lysol, I guessed that Creeper had brought him from my house and sprayed him with the disinfectant since I have voiced my opinions about his personal hygiene…or lack thereof, as it were." Darry gave a short laugh. Antares smiled at him, then seemed surprised. She had smiled several times in the last hour or so. She hadn't smiled in almost a month. Smiling felt strange, but nice. Though the conditions of their strange friendship were almost unbearable, it was nice to have a friend under such conditions. Still smiling, Antares propped herself up on her elbow, facing Darry. He did the same facing her.

"So where are you from?" she asked. "I figure if we're going to be spending time together we may as well get to know each other, unless you'd rather not."

"I'm from northern Ohio (**A/N:** I'm not sure if this is accurate, so if someone knows otherwise could you please correct me?) near Lake Erie," said Darry. "You?"

"North Carolina," Antares replied. "Outer Banks. We live right on the beach practically."

"So what are you doing all the way up here then?" asked Darry.

"Visiting my brother," said Antares. "He goes to college up here; we were coming to go on a camping trip in the country. Bad idea."

"Hey, you couldn't've known what would happen," said Darry. "So you have an older brother. Any other siblings?"

"Huh. One's plenty. There's just him and me. What about you?"

"Slightly older sister, two years older. Trish. We were going home for break when we saw the Creeper dumping bodies down an old pipe at that church."

"Yeah, I was down there at the time. I wondered why he took off again in such a hurry."

"You were down there? I didn't see you when I fell in."

"You wouldn't've. Sometimes when he leaves me alone for an extended period of time, Creeper shuts me in my room so I can't try to run away. I heard you, though. Is that how you hurt your hand?"

"Oh, yeah. I hadn't even thought about that. Yeah, I cut it on the way down or something."

Antares nodded and gazed at his bandaged hand thoughtfully for a time. Her head snapped up instantly, reflexively, as they both heard a scraping sound, followed by a leaden _thud!_ from outside the door.

"He's back," whispered Antares. Darry sniffed the air.

"Eugh. What's that smell?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. Antares sniffed briefly.

"Formaldehyde," she said. "He uses it to preserve the bodies; it prevents putrefaction. Rank stuff, I know, but you get used to it." She fell silent, listening, but the Creeper didn't come near the door. Slowly she relaxed as the dreadful wooden footsteps faded away. Darry looked at her in concern.

"You're shaking," he said softly. Antares looked at him, then down at her trembling hands. She shrugged and looked back at him.

"So are you," she pointed out. "I told you: that creature scares the shit outta me." She sighed and dropped her hands. "He's going to come for me tonight, I know it. He's just bringing in his trophies. Those who know of him think he takes all his victims' bodies into these places for display, but that's not true. He only takes certain bodies, depending on the person's looks and how they died. You know, if they fought him to the end or if they broke down screaming for their Mommy."

"Should I be flattered?" asked Darry. Antares shrugged again.

"If it makes you feel better," she answered. "He'll be in and out all day, I'm sure. He prefers to feed from me at night, for some reason."

"Haven't you fought him?" asked Darry.

"Of course I have. Unfortunately, he has a very low opinion of defiance. He can't kill me, and he won't let me die, but there are worse things than death." She shuddered. "You've got one chance in five; they're the odds you must meet if you want to survive. This is the Devil's Playground." Darry didn't know what to say, so he remained silent. Presently he ventured to speak:

"I don't want to just let him hurt you."

Antares gave a hollow laugh. "I thank you for the sentiment, but it won't do either of us any good. I don't have a choice, and you're not strong enough to stop him from doing exactly what he wants." She sighed and looked at him with infinite sadness in her emerald eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt either. If he comes in tonight, just turn over and go back to sleep. Please just let him do what he will and get it over with. It's not so bad; really, it's not. Don't get in his way. Please, Darry." Darry's heart was touched by her soft, sad request. He didn't want to do as she asked, but how could he refuse? He sighed.

"All right," he said. "But I don't like this."

"Nor do I," Antares replied. She yawned, stifling it with her hand. "I'm exhausted; I was waiting up all night, terrified I'd miss my chance to save you. And I can see the fatigue in your eyes. We should both just get some sleep."

_'Personally, I'd be shocked if I ever sleep again,'_ thought Darry, but he said nothing, only nodded. Antares folded her arms under her head, snuggling down into the beanbags comfortably. Darry noticed that she had left him her only pillow and felt a twinge of guilt. Why was she doing all this for him? Confused and inexplicably sad, Darry lay down on his side facing Antares, and fell asleep thus.

A strident metallic shriek made Darry stir in his otherwise undisturbed sleep briefly. For an instant he thought he saw the Creeper standing in the doorway, backlit by the glow of candles from his "workshop", holding something that Darry didn't want to acknowledge as a whip. The Creeper neither moved nor spoke, just stood tapping the whip against his leg as he gazed at Antares thoughtfully. Darry was so tired he was convinced he was just having a strange dream, and so did nothing when the Creeper came into the room and shook Antares awake and none too gently either. She stared up at him in undisguised terror, biting back sobs as the Creeper tried to drag her to her feet. She shook her head desperately, pleading with him to spare her just one night, just this once. The Creeper threw her down roughly and pointed at Darry, snarling something to her that made her hang her head and nod slowly, rising to her feet and letting the Creeper half drag her out of the room. He heard her moaning. Such a small, despairing sound. Frowning, he rose up and went to the ajar door and peered through. What he saw he knew he would never forget. Antares was in the Creeper's arms, her head bent back as he sucked some silvery smoky stuff out of her.

_'What the…is that her spirit?'_ thought Darry, attempting to wake himself further. Antares's knees gave out slowly and she sank to the floor, but still the Creeper fed from her. Finally he stopped, and Antares exhaled heavily as though breathing had been difficult for her. Slowly she raised her head and looked at the Creeper.

"Don't think you get off so easily," he growled. Antares's eyes widened and she looked around. Darry did the same, though he didn't know what he was looking for. He heard a whispered "No," and looked up at Antares. She was staring in terror at the whip in the Creeper's hand.

_'Oh God,'_ thought Darry. _'No, no, he wouldn't…would he?'_ He watched in horror as the Creeper threw Antares face-down over the table, holding her down by pressing his hand into the back of her neck.

"I'll teach you to steal my prey!" snarled the Creeper, raising the whip. But the blow never fell.

"Stop it!" shouted Darry, springing out of the shadows into the light. "Leave her alone!" The Creeper looked up at him in mild surprise. He laughed.

"How cute," he sneered. "It seems your hero has come to save you, Antares." He pulled her up roughly, holding her by the back of the neck like an animal. "Do you feel safe now? Do you feel protected?" He laughed again. Darry ground his teeth in frustration.

"Darry, please don't," choked Antares. "Just go back to bed, please!"

"That's right, _Darry_, go back to bed," mimicked the Creeper in a wickedly mincing tone. "I'll take good care of pretty little Antares, don't you worry."

"I'm not leaving her," said Darry steadfastly, trying to keep the fear from his voice. The Creeper only laughed again. "You think that's funny, you demented son of a bitch? Well go ahead, laugh 'til your sides pop. She saved my life; I'm not going to thank her by just ignoring her when she needs me." Still looking amused, the Creeper looked briefly at Antares, still struggling in his grip. Then, grinning evilly at Darry, he tossed Antares away as haphazardly as though she were a rag doll and advanced on Darry, seizing the front of his shirt and dragging him back to the table. Darry looked over where Antares had landed. She wasn't moving, but she was breathing steadily. She must've hit her head and been knocked out. He gave a startled cry as the Creeper grabbed a handful of his hair and twisted his head back to look him in the eyes…eyes that would've been Darry's own if Antares hadn't been there.

"You're here to suffer to protect _her?"_ hissed the Creeper scathingly. With a single swipe of his inhuman claws he shredded Darry's green-grey shirt and pinned him down on the table in the same manner he had pinned Antares. "Then protect her from _this!"_ The first blow of the whip fell across Darry's bare back on the word "this". Darry screamed in pain, thrashing desperately as he tried to get free. The Creeper's grasp was iron, though; Darry may as well have been struggling in the grip of a stone golem out of a faerie tale for all the good it did him. Again and again the whip hissed through the air and landed, burning, across his back. Again and again Darry screamed in ever-increasing agony. He lay quivering, tears streaming down his face as steadily as the blood running down his back, soaking into his jeans, dripping onto the floor. He heard the swish of the whip being raised again and squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his hands into fists, waiting for the pain. But it didn't come again.

"What in the hell!" came the Creeper's surprised and angered voice. Darry opened his eyes slowly, twisting his head around as much as he could to see what was going on. Antares stood next to him, gripping the Creeper's wrist, her face expressionless, her eyes tired and filled with smoldering hatred.

"Leave him alone," she said. Quite unexpectedly, she shoved the Creeper back and since he wasn't prepared for it he stumbled back, releasing Darry. "And leave me alone," she added quietly as she reached for Darry's hand. She turned to him and drew his arm slowly across her shoulders, helping him to stand. Darry cried out in pain, but didn't fight her. She studied him for a moment, then turned her gaze back to the Creeper, who had since recovered and stood scowling at them both.

"I never should have let that boy live," he hissed. "He's deluded you, give you mad thoughts that this petty defiance will serve you any good. The only reason you're still alive, you ungrateful child, is because you have something I want that I can get from no other. That brat you're holding has no such quality. I have no need of him, no reason to keep him around. He's worthless."

"Yeah. And you're ugly," Antares replied bluntly. She looked away from him deliberately and started helping Darry back to her room.

"Don't you turn your back on me!" roared the Creeper, lunging at them. Antares seized a knife and slashed wildly at the Creeper, gashing him across the abdomen. He gasped and stumbled back. Antares seized her chance and hurried Darry back into her room, kicking the door shut behind her.


	5. The Lost and Forgotten

**Disclaimer:**I don't own "May It Be".

**A/N:** Wow, I've never given anyone dreams before. Cool!

The Lost and Forgotten

"I'm sorry about this," Antares said before dropping Darry unceremoniously, but carefully nonetheless, onto her beanbag bed and rushing back to the door, barricading it with everything she had but the bed and beanbags. Darry lay on his side watching her mutely. Damn it all, he was still crying. He tried to raise his hand to wipe the tears away, but the pain was too great. When she had finished, Antares turned back to him, gazing at him sadly.

"Can you move one more time?" she asked quietly. Darry, not trusting himself to speak, nodded shakily. His whole frame was still quivering violently. Antares must have noticed, but she said nothing of it as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and helped him to the bed, gently laying him down on his stomach. "Oh God, Darry," she whispered. "What did he do to you." It was a rhetorical question, if it was a question at all, so Darry didn't answer. "Darry, you shouldn't've…you didn't…I mean, really…" Her voice trailed off. What could she say? "Oh Darry, I'm so sorry." Darry felt a cold wet droplet hit his shoulder; Antares was crying.

"You didn't do this to me," he said softly, reaching back for her hand and squeezing it gently. He hissed in the pain that the movement caused, but didn't pull away from Antares.

"Here, let me help you," said Antares. "I know something that'll help, make the wounds close faster, take the pain away." She squeezed his hand affectionately before rising slowly, sliding her hand out of his and going to her nightstand – which, Darry noticed for the first time, was actually a waist-high table with a cabinet underneath. He watched her, his head nestled in the crook of his arm, as she took out a wooden bowl and a bunch of jars. These she set on the bed next to him and went over to the fridge without a word. From the mini-fridge she withdrew a bottle of water and brought it back to the bed. Darry couldn't see what she was doing, but he assumed she was mixing whatever was in the jars with the water in the wooden bowl. He sniffled, trying to stem the flow of tears that threatened to smother him. He hadn't cried since he was eleven; now after eight years he was crying again.

_'There's no point stopping now, I guess,'_ he thought. He buried his face in the crook of his arm and just cried, not trying to hold it back anymore. Antares said nothing, but she was humming a strangely familiar song.

"It's done," she said at length. "This'll help a lot, but it's really, really cold. You ready?" Darry couldn't respond, so he just nodded and braced himself. "This may sting a little," Antares warned before laying something heavy, wet, and very cold on his back over the whiplashes. He hissed and shivered, but otherwise lay still. "I'm sorry," whispered Antares. "There's just a little more and then I'll be done." Twice more she laid whatever stuff she had concocted on his back, making sure to cover all the wounds.

"What is this stuff?" asked Darry shakily, still trying to catch his breath and steady his voice.

"A sort of herbal clay," replied Antares. "I discovered it myself a while ago. It'll help the wounds close and heal faster and minimize scars. The cold numbs the pain." She sighed and set the bowl on the floor. "Darry, you shouldn't have interfered. I'm grateful, I really truly am, but I didn't want this to happen to you."

"Haven't you been through enough?" asked Darry by way of a response. "I couldn't let him do this to you. How could I just walk away? Did you really expect me to? Tell me." He turned a little and looked at her over his shoulder. "Look me right in the eyes and tell me you really expected me to just walk away." Antares looked into his eyes, but didn't say anything. Her gaze dropped pretty quickly.

"I didn't," she said quietly. "I just…oh, I don't know. I don't know! What do you want me to say? I just didn't want to hear the screaming again. Screams in the dark." Darry's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" he whispered. Antares looked at him, confused.

"What is it?" she asked. Darry looked away for a moment, then lay down again.

"My sister and I…before I came here…we met this psychic woman who said she had had a dream about one of us screaming in the dark while "Jeepers Creepers" was playing on a phonograph," he said slowly. "I thought she meant…" Silence descended.

"Did she say she saw you die?" asked Antares as delicately as possible. Darry shook his head. "Then I think her dream's been realized. Or didn't you hear that God-awful song playing before?"

"No," said Darry quietly. "I didn't."

"Well, it was," said Antares. "I heard it. It's always playing, it seems. It never stops." She paused for a moment before asking, "How do you feel?"

"Better, I think," said Darry. "It doesn't hurt as much."

"And what about on the inside?" asked Antares. Darry sighed, but didn't answer. "Crying isn't evil or childish, Darry. It's cleansing and spiritual."

"I don't give a damn about _spiritual_ right now," said Darry bluntly. Antares shrugged.

"I'm not asking you to," she replied. "I'm just trying to let you know that if you think I'll think less of you if you cry, then you're wrong. But if you think _you'll_ think less of you, then there's nothing I can do about that." Darry didn't answer, just bit his lip and hoped Antares didn't see. He was still shaking and now he was cold, but he didn't care. Antares's soft tone and deep words were still in his head. Trish had cried. He had seen the tears running down her face when the Creeper ate the tongue out of that cop's severed head. And she had had tears in her eyes when the Creeper grabbed him and threw her aside. But crying was for girls, wasn't it? Boys weren't supposed to cry…were they?

_'Yeah, and winged monsters from Hell aren't supposed to fly around scaring the shit outta people and then eating parts of them either,'_ pointed out a voice in the back of his head. A tear trickled down his cheek and this time he didn't try to hide it. He heard a sniffle from behind him and realized Antares was crying silently again.

"Sing something," he whispered.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Sing something," he repeated. "Anything, I don't care what, but just sing something. I can't get that song out of my head. Please." Antares thought for a moment. Then she began to sing:

"_May it be an evening star  
shines down upon you  
May it be when darkness falls  
your heart will be true  
You walk a lonely road  
Oh, how far you are from home_

Mornie utúlie_  
Believe and you will find your way  
_Mornie alantie_  
A promise lives within you now_

_May it be the shadows'__ call  
will fly away  
May it be you journey on  
to light the day  
When the night is overcome  
you may rise to find the sun_

Mornie utúlie_  
Believe and you will find your way  
_Mornie alantie_  
A promise lives within you now_

_A promise lives within you now."_

Her voice trailed off as she ended the song. The words echoed in Darry's mind, curiously familiar. This song was the same as she had been humming before. But where had he heard it before? Then, suddenly, it hit him.

"What'd you say your last name was, again?" he asked.

"Starr with two 'R's," replied Antares. "Why?"

"Yes…"Super Starr" they called you. You're the singer who's been missing for almost a month, the one who sang in the Easton State Theatre, aren't you?" Antares's eyes widened.

"You were there?" she asked in a whisper.

"No," said Darry. "I watched the broadcast. I _knew_ you seemed familiar. I couldn't believe that you weren't lip-synching. You have a very mature voice."

"Thank you," said Antares softly, blushing. After a moment's pause, she said, "You should try to get some sleep. You're exhausted, I can tell."

"You're more tired than I am," protested Darry, but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy, wanting to close. Antares began massaging his bare shoulders and arms, her long slender fingers surprisingly strong for their delicate appearance. Darry sighed and closed his eyes, his body relaxing slowly. Antares began to sing again, but Darry couldn't hear the words, just the music. Beautiful, wordless music played on the instrument of her soul just for him, to help him sleep. He smiled faintly and fell asleep.


	6. I'm Not Quiet, I'm Plotting

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the quote from "Imaginations From the Other Side".

**A/N:** Wow, I feel so loved and special (sniffs) You guys/gals are great! Cookies all around! (passes out cookies shaped like the Creeper and eyeballs) Oh, FYI, this is the last finished chapter I have, so you'll have to wait for me to write the next one and I've got exams this week so it might not be 'til the weekend that I get to update. I blame the educational system!

"I'm Not _Quiet_, I'm _Plotting."_

_Darry choked, struggling in the Creeper's grip as the police trained their guns on him. Trish pleaded with him to let Darry go and take her instead. Darry tried to tell Trish not to do it, but he could barely breathe let alone speak. For one horrible second it looked as though the Creeper would grant Trish's request. Then, all of a sudden, he yanked Darry's head back by his hair and dug his hideous claws into the soft flesh surrounding his left eye. Darry screamed in anguish, and again as the Creeper pulled his eye out. He repeated the process on his right eye, throwing Darry's lifeless body at Trish when he had done and consuming Darry's eyes right there. Trish screamed when she saw that Darry was dead, and lunged at the Creeper in blind rage. The Creeper caught her and ripped her heart out as easily as young boys pull the wings off butterflies. Grinning horribly, he dropped Trish's body and squeezed her heart in his hand until it burst._

"Darry, wake up."

Gentle hands shook him, trying to wake him. With a cry, Darry's head snapped up and he looked all around, panting, terrified.

"Darry! Darry, it's me, Ana. Your friend, remember?"

Darry looked for the source of the voice and found Antares kneeling on the ground next to the bed stroking his hair like his mother did when he was little and had a nightmare.

"You were dreaming," she said gently. "You were just having a little nightmare. Shh, it's all right now."

"No it's not," whispered Darry in a cracked voice, tears stinging his eyes. "It's never going to be all right as long as he's around!" He started to cry uncontrollably. Antares climbed up on the bed with him and laid his head in her lap, stroking his hair and rubbing his back between his shoulder blades, the only part of his back that hadn't been cruelly torn open by the Creeper's whip. For several minutes they sat thus, neither speaking. Antares didn't know what to say and Darry couldn't say anything if he wanted to. Finally, he calmed enough to speak:

"Talk to me, Ana."

Antares was a little surprised. "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything. Just talk to me. I am so scared. When we're talking, everything else fades out and he doesn't exist just for a while. Tell me about your family, your friends. I'll tell you about mine."

Antares smiled. "All right." She shifted her position a little and checked the dried clay on Darry's back. "This is almost ready to come off, but that can wait. So…my family. My brother's name is Rigel. He's five years older, probably your sister's age. He has hazel eyes, like our mother, and brown hair like mine used to be."

"Oh, I remember that now," said Darry softly. "You had natural gold highlights, right?"

"That's right," said Antares. "But, as time went on and Creeper took more and more of my soul, the colour just went out of my hair and skin."

"I see," said Darry quietly. "Go on. Tell me about your parents."

"My mother is beautiful," said Antares. "Her name's Mira. She has hazel eyes and hair the colour of antique gold, though with the sheen of new. She moves with the grace of a willow tree in the breeze. Her smile brings the dawn and her laughter is the ringing of morning bells. My father gave me my green eyes and brown hair. His name's Sirius. He's tall and powerful as a redwood, but gentle and loving. I was born on his birthday, actually. He says I'm the best birthday present he ever got. And the most expensive." She gave a small laugh. "I look more like him than Mom. Rigel looks more like Mom."

"You all have star names," said Darry thoughtfully, composing himself. "Except your mom."

"Actually, Mira is a star in the constellation Cetus, the Whale," said Antares. "My grandparents named Dad Sirius as a sort of joke, and he just happened to fall in love with a woman who's name was also a star name, so they gave their children – my brother and I – star names as well."

"What constellations are yours and your brother's names from?" asked Darry.

"Mine's the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio. Rigel's is from the constellation Orpheus." She broke off for a moment, thinking. "What about you and your family? I want to hear about them."

"I have a sister, like I said," said Darry. "Trish. Her hair's dyed blond. Her eyes are a little lighter brown than mine, more like hazel, and she's shorter than me even though she's older. My mom's name is Selene. I get my eyes from her, but her hair's blond. Natural blond. My dad's name is Darius. I was named after him, actually. Trish and I get our brown hair from him. Trish's hair was brown like mine before she dyed it. My parents were at your performance, actually."

"I'm flattered," said Antares, and she meant it. After a moment's pause, she ventured to ask, "What were you dreaming about?" Darry looked back at her.

"I'd rather not say," he said.

"I respect that," replied Antares. She sighed, as she seemed to do a lot. "That barricade isn't going to hold him off very long. As I told you, he has a very low opinion of defiance, so I'm in deep trouble for what I did tonight. It's hard to ask you this, but please, please, this time, just let him. If and when he comes back, just pretend to be asleep and don't come between him and what he means to do. I don't want you getting hurt again."

"You've totally given yourself over to this thing, haven't you?" asked Darry.

"What do you mean?" asked Antares.

"You'll do whatever he says, no matter what it is, and you'll let him do whatever he wants to you. How can you exist like that?"

"I told you, I'm scared to death of him. This is the first time I've made him angry in a while; I've been avoiding doing so for so long he was stunned. I don't want to disobey him again."

"So you're just going to let him shut you up in that pod thing for twenty-three years?"

"What choice do I have?"

"You could run away."

"_No."_

"Think about it. He probably won't shut you up until the very last night, just before he runs out of time and goes to sleep himself so he can feed from you. Until then, you and me are down here alone all day. We could make it together. I'll help you, if you just give me courage. Courage like you showed tonight when you stopped him from beating me. It's there, I know it is."

"You don't think he'll take steps to make sure we can't do any such thing?"

"We have to try."

"Darry, I can't-"

"Yes, you _can._ Stop saying you can't; you can. Together we can. I want to help you, Ana. I want to save you."

Antares smiled. "You already did, in a way."

"What do you mean?"

"After I started having the dreams about you, I set aside my plans for suicide. I vowed that I would try one more time to save an innocent life. I sword that if you did not live then nor would I. When I saved you, you saved me."

Darry was silent, thinking on what she had just said. "We have to get out of here, Ana. You know it."

"I've told you, I can't."

"No, you _won't._ You're too afraid, aren't you?"

"So what if I am!" Antares rose and walked a ways away before spinning around to face him again. Darry rested his cheek on his arm and watched her, her eyes flashing with anger. "You want me to say it, I'll say it! I'm too afraid to run away! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?"

"No," replied Darry. "And I'm not accusing you. I'm just trying to tell you that we could do it. You have the courage; I saw that tonight. You have to fight him, Ana. I know you're scared. I'm scared too. Nothing's ever scared me so bad before. But we have to get away from him. You know that I'm right. I'll help you. You know your way around this place. If you show me the way, I'll help you follow it out. We can make it, together, if you just believe in our strength."

"You're talking like a book," retorted Antares, but she wasn't so defensive anymore. Slowly she relaxed her tensed muscles. "I want to get out of here more than anything, to get back to my family and friends, let them know I'm alive, I'm OK. But ye gods, I'm so scared…"

"I know," said Darry gently. "We can be scared together, OK? But you have to let me help you. You can be as scared as you want if you just try to get away with me." Antares still looked skeptical, but she nodded.

"Just promise me something," she said.

"What?" asked Darry.

"If I fall behind or something, you leave me and get yourself out and away, OK? You promise?"

"No." Darry gazed at her in surprise. "You really think I would leave you behind like that? You're crazy. No way I'm gonna leave you with that thing, nuh-uh." Antares nodded slightly.

"I expected as much," she said wearily. "I just thought I'd try. All right. But we only have one shot at this, understand? And I'm still terrified of him discovering us. He'll kill you, Darry. If we do this, and he catches us, he'll kill you. He'll make you wish you were dead, and then he'll grant your wish. I don't want to scare you anymore than you are, but you have to know."

"No, you are trying to scare me," said Darry. "You want to scare me out of doing this, but it won't work. I'm getting out of here and I'm taking you with me, back to your family, your house on the beach."

"Yes," whispered Antares. "I want to go back. I want to go home."

"And I'll take you there," said Darry gently. "I'll get you out of here. It's the least I can do after you saved my life."

"Out of the dark…back to the light," said Antares softly. "Yes. I will go with you. I trust you." Darry smiled. Antares smiled back. "That clay should be ready to come off soon. Maybe later." She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a yawn.

"Did you sleep at all?" Darry asked. Antares shook her head, unable to speak due to another yawn. "Go to sleep now. I'll watch over you." Antares smiled again and started toward her beanbag bed. "No." Antares looked up at him in surprise. Darry moved to the far side of the bed. "Here. With me. We can keep the nightmares away from each other." Antares blushed a little, but smiled and lay down alongside him, closing her hand over his. Darry closed his eyes for a moment, and in that moment he could've sworn he heard Antares half-sing:

"_Out of the dark/Back to the light/Then I'll break down the walls around my hear."_

He opened his eyes to ask her what she meant, but Antares was already asleep.


	7. Vertigo

Vertigo

Antares's concern that Darry would interfere with the Creeper again was well-warranted but unnecessary. Darry was asleep again when the Creeper forced the door and came for Antares again. He woke up when they were gone, and stayed awake, waiting for them to come back. Like Antares had asked, he pretended to be asleep when the Creeper came back in with Antares and laid her quivering form on the beanbags she had set up. Somehow Darry could tell he had taken more from her that night than ever before. He pushed himself up a little on his elbows and called to her softly:

"Ana. Hey Ana, wake up. Are you OK? What happened? Ana, can you hear me?"

Antares opened her eyes slowly and looked over at him, her face crumpled in fear and sorrow. She didn't respond to him, just lay gazing at him for a while. Darry couldn't say anything, so he just gazed back at her, wishing he could do something for her. Her soft voice startled him out of his thoughts:

"We gotta get outta here."

_'No, let's stay and feed the birds,'_ said Trish's voice in Darry's mind. Darry half-smiled at the memory of his sister. He could still her screaming his name in his mind as she chased after him and the Creeper. But he didn't say these things. Instead, he said, "I think I tried to tell you that before." Antares forced an uncertain smile.

"I can't do this anymore," she said softly. "I'll lose whatever sanity I've managed to retain if I stay here. I can't. I have to get away, if only for a while. I just want to let my family know I'm alive. If I can do that much, then I'll be OK."

_"We'll_ do more than that," Darry said. "We're going to get out of here. We're going home. I promise." Ana smiled and rose slowly, making her way towards him. Darry stared at her in shock when she came close enough for him to see her well. She had a reddish-purple "shiner" around her left eye and a split lip. Knowing full well what he was staring at, Antares shrugged helplessly.

"I guess the license plate is 'beating you' sometimes, huh?" she joked weakly. Darry didn't answer, just stared at her. "It's not so bad, though I should put some ice on my eye. S'matter of fact, I think I'll go do that now while I'm thinking of it." So saying, she went to her mini-fridge with a washcloth and took some ice out, wrapping it in the cloth. This she placed lightly on her eye, and returned to Darry.

"Are you all right?" asked Darry softly.

"As well as can be expected," replied Antares.

"How much time is left?"

"Tomorrow is the last day."

"Then we have to get out of here soon. What ways out are there?"

Antares hesitated, and Darry could see the uncertainty in her eyes. She was having second thoughts already. "Ana, we have to get out of here. You said so yourself," he said gently.

"I want to talk to them again," she said softly. "If I could just tell them I'm alive, I'm OK, I could be content. I could make it then."

"We're getting out of here," said Darry. "If I have to carry you out of here, I will." Antares laughed.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," she said. "But I appreciate the laugh." Darry grinned. "All right. There's another way out that I don't think Creeper knows about. There's a pipe, larger than the others. It's hollow. It's wide enough for a person to stand inside comfortably, but you couldn't stretch your arms out fully. If we brace ourselves against the inside of the pipe, we should be able to work our way up that way. It won't be easy, but it's the only other way out, the only way he might not know of."

"Good enough for me," said Darry. "We'll leave as soon as he does."

"He's probably going to lock us in here, but I can get us out," said Antares. She held up a hairpin, crudely bent and twisted to resemble a key of sorts. "This'll unlock the door. I made sure of it. When he locks us in, after he leaves I'll get us out again."

"Good," said Darry, smiling. The rest of the day dragged on uneventfully. Antares loaned Darry a solid black oversized shirt to replace the one the Creeper had shredded before. The two friends talked and dozed on and off. Darry woke once to find that the clay had been removed from his back and the residue washed away. Antares sat at a small desk drawing and didn't notice he was awake. He watched her for a time before falling back to dozing after slowly turning on his side. His back was still tender, but not nearly as painful as it had been. When he awoke again, Antares lay on her beanbag bed looking sick. Her skin had taken on an unhealthy-looking grey colour and her eyes were listless. Darry frowned, concerned.

"Hey Ana, you OK?" he asked, more for the sake of comforting her rather than truly asking. He knew she wasn't. She blinked slowly and looked over at him.

"He's gone," she croaked. "He's gone, and I can't move."

"What can I do?" asked Darry softly.

"In the fridge," said Antares, "there's some small black cans on the door. They have red symbols on them. Bring me two, please. Don't move too fast, though. The skin on your back is still healing; moving too quickly may cause it to open again." Darry nodded and did as she requested, rising slowly and bringing her two cans of something labeled "Vamp". When he saw she clearly couldn't sit up and drink them herself, he popped one open and held it to her lips, holding her head up so she wouldn't choke. He did the same with the second can, laying her back down gently when she finished.

"Thanks," she said. "I should be able to function better soon."

"What is this stuff?" asked Darry curiously.

"Energy drink," replied Antares. "A good one, too. It has, and I quote, "the most amount of caffeine allowed by law". Tastes really good, like really, really fizzy cherry soda. It's the first energy drink I've ever had that actually gives me energy. Want one?"

"No thanks," said Darry. After a while, Antares slowly pushed herself up, testing her reaction. Seeming content with whatever she was feeling, she rose to her feet and walked back and forth slowly across the room a couple times. Smiling to herself, she nodded and turned back to Darry. She looked like she was going to speak, but stopped before she did and went to her desk, gathered up a few papers in a folder, and put the folder in a small backpack, along with Benji whom she took from her bed. This she slung over her shoulders and turned back to Darry.

"I'm ready," she said. "Let's do this now before I change my mind." Darry smiled and they went to the door together. As Darry had feared, it was locked, but Antares's lock pick got it open. Almost as soon as they were out, though, Antares froze, staring at the table in abject horror.

"Oh God," she whispered. "Oh gods above." Darry couldn't speak at all when he saw what she did: a dead blond-haired boy lying on the table, his hair matted with blood. Eyes wide, Antares went toward him slowly, smoothing back his hair from his face when she reached him. "Poor little boy," she whispered. "He's so young." Closing her hands over his, she closed her eyes and intoned in a strange voice, _"Beautiful Queen of the Underworld, beloved daughter of the seasons, hear the voice of thy childe Starfire. See the horror of this tragic death. O Queen, guide this poor childe to those of his kin. Let him rest evermore in the eternal peace of lost love. Spare his unfettered soul the pain of the material. Take him in your loving embrace forever. So mote it be."_

Darry _felt_ something happen when she finished, a strange warmth growing in the centre of his chest and spreading through him. It was strange, but not unpleasant. She leaned down and kissed the dead boy's forehead, and it seemed to Darry that his face was relaxed now, as though he was only sleeping. A sleep from which he would never wake, certainly, but peaceful.

"Be at peace, Billy," Antares whispered. "Be at peace."

"How did you know his name?" asked Darry. "And what the hell was all that?"

"I called on the goddess Persephone to being this poor child's spirit to peace in the Afterlife," replied Antares. "And he told me his name. He stayed to try and warn a bunch of college kids that Creeper is coming after them. Many of them are dead. Those that remain are trying to figure out which ones Creeper wants so they can sacrifice them to stay alive." She sighed and shook her head. "Survival instincts. It's scary, really." She noticed Darry still staring at her and shrugged. "I'm a Wiccan, Darry. Does that clarify anything?"

"Sorta," replied Darry, still dazed. Collecting himself, he said, "C'mon. We gotta get moving." Antares nodded, gazing back on the boy, Billy, one last time before showing Darry to the pipe she told him about. A good part of the front came off when she pulled, revealing the hollow interior.

"You go first," said Darry. "I'll catch you if you slip." Antares nodded and stepped inside. She hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes and standing perfectly still. After a minute or two, she smiled, opened her eyes, and braced herself against the inside of the pipe, slowly making her way upward. Darry followed suit after she had gone up a ways.

"I don't like this," said Antares uncertainly.

"Don't think about it," said Darry. "Just climb. I'll catch you, don't worry. You're safe with me." Antares nodded and kept climbing. She did slip once, but Darry caught her foot and pushed her back up, keeping a hold on her until she was sure she wouldn't slip again.

"Stop," called Antares after a short while. "We've reached the top. There's a hatch or something. I'll see if I can open it."

"You don't _know?"_ cried Darry.

"I've never been up here before!" snapped Antares hotly. "Wouldja just chill?" Darry grizzled to himself, but said nothing as Antares went to work on the hatch. Suddenly they were both bathed in moonlight. "I got it. Let's go." She grabbed the rim of the hatch and pulled herself out, reaching back down to help Darry up. When he was out, Darry turned back and closed the hatch. Then he looked around.

"We're on the roof," he noted. Antares nodded, swallowing hard. Darry noticed and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid of heights, remember?" she asked. She was rubbing at the red scar on her arm again, as she did often when she was scared (which was also often). "I don't like being up here."

"You didn't like being down there," Darry pointed out. Antares gave a sort of half-shrug. "We're out of there now. All that's left to do is get down. That won't be too hard. Look, there's a, a drainpipe over there we can slide down." He led Antares over to the pipe in question and she looked at it dubiously.

"What if it breaks while we're on it?" she asked. "What if I lost my grip and fall?"

"I'll catch you," answered Darry. "I'll go first and make sure you don't fall. I swear I won't let you fall. OK?" Antares sighed and nodded. Darry squeezed her arm reassuringly and started down the pipe. When he was a few feet down, he called back, "C'mon. It's your turn. You ready?" Antares shook her head, but mounted the pipe anyway. "Don't look down. That's it, you're doing it! I told you you could do it. Yeah, keep going like that. It's not much further."

Antares's grip slipped and she shrieked as she started to fall. Darry stopped her with one hand against the small of her back, pushing her back forward against the pipe.

"Darry, I can't, I can't do it," sobbed Antares, shaking hard.

"Yes, you _can._ We're so close, Ana. We're almost out. I'm right here. I will not let you fall. There's nothing to be afraid of except the Creeper. You want him to come back and find us like this? You can do this, Ana. I know you can." Antares was still uncertain, but she slowly started sliding herself down again. After a while, she felt Darry's hands on her waist as he lifted her off the pipe and set her on the ground in front of him. She turned to face him and found him smiling at her. "You did it, Ana. We made it." Antares smiled and hugged him tightly around the neck. Darry hugged her back.

"Thank you," she said softly, brushing the smallest kiss against his cheek before stepping back. Darry grinned somewhat foolishly. Antares giggled. "Let's go. There's a road maybe half a mile down the hill there. We can flag someone down for help, hitch a ride to the police station, call our families. I can't wait to talk to my parents again, tell them that I'm OK." Darry nodded.

"Then let's hurry," he said. Hand in hand, the two friends started off down the hill. Little did they know their escape hadn't freed them from the nightmare. It had merely exacerbated it.


	8. Breakaway

Breakaway

Darry and Antares talked about their families and friends and what they were going back to as they made their way down the hill towards the road Antares spoke of.

"So, what's your boyfriend gonna say when you tell him all this?" asked Darry. Antares smiled, looking at the ground.

"I don't have a boyfriend," said Antares softly. "I never did."

"Why not?" asked Darry in genuine surprise. Antares shrugged.

"I was engaged in kindergarten, if that makes a difference," she offered. Darry laughed.

"Yeah, a girl got "married" to a guy in kindergarten. There's something like that in every kindergarten class, I think," replied Darry. "My sister just broke it off with her Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy boyfriend. Didn't say why. I had been teasing her about it the last day we were together." He fell silent for a moment. "My best friend's dating a girl who's three years younger than him. Think that's weird?"

"Not really," answered Antares distantly. "All that really matters is that they love each other and they make each other happy, if you ask me. My parents are fifteen years apart, but they really love each other. And they love me and Rigel. That's all that really matters." Darry nodded thoughtfully. Antares smiled and looked like she was going to say more, but instead she froze suddenly in her tracks, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oh the gods," she whispered looking up. "He's coming back. I can feel it. He's coming back! We've gotta hurry and get out of here!" She grabbed his hand and started running, completely forgetting her cautioning him not to move quickly or else risk tearing the fragile skin on his back. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.

Darry gave a cry and stumbled as he felt the skin on his back tear in two places, blood immediately soaking into the back of his borrowed shirt. Antares held him up and kept pulling him along.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said, "but we've gotta get out of here. If he finds us…" Her voice trailed off. Darry didn't want to hear any more anyway. "He's getting closer," whispered Antares as she led Darry down towards the road, which was now in sight. Antares set Darry down by a gnarled, dead tree next to the road and looked both ways for any oncoming traffic. Considering the remote location they were in, there was none. They waited for what seemed like hours, Antares constantly fretting that the Creeper was coming ever closer and he would find them and punish them horribly. At last, at long last, a pickup truck came towards them.

"Hey!" shouted Antares, waving her arms. But the truck showed no signs of stopping. Desperate, Antares jumped out in the middle of the road, well ahead of the truck. Jumping up and down, waving her arms, she tried everything she knew to get the truck to stop. When it reached her, it did, and the driver stuck his head out the window.

"What the hell's the matter with you, girly?" he shouted.

"Please, my friend's hurt and we need help," said Antares breathlessly, her eyes wide and wild. The driver's expression softened a little as he looked to Darry, who was trying to lean against the tree without letting his back touch it. "Please," said Antares softly. "Some…one's chasing us, and we have to get away from him before he finds us again. He'll kill us. Please help us."

"C'mon Dad," said a young man about Darry's age, maybe a little older, looking at the driver. "Can't you see the poor kid's scared shitless and her friend's really hurt? We can fit 'em in the back." The driver nodded.

"OK kid, looks like you and your friend come with us," said the driver. "The name's Jack. This here's my son, Jack Jr. Girl in the back's Minxie."

"I'm Antares, and that's Darry," said Antares. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you've helped us." She hurried over to Darry and helped him up and back to the truck. It was then that she caught sight of what was in the back of the pickup and her blood ran cold. "Then again, maybe you do," she whispered.

"What's the holdup?" asked Jack Sr. Then he noticed Antares staring in horror and fear at the cargo he carried. It was none other than the Creeper himself, his face obscured by the strange reptilian fan around his head, wrapped in his own wings.

"I-is it d-dead?" she stammered. "Please t-tell me i-it's dead."

"I don't think so," said Jack in a gentle tone. "It just ran out of time." Antares looked up at him. "You knew of that thing?"

"Knew _of_ it?" replied Antares shakily. "I _knew_ it. That thing kidnapped me twenty-three days ago and I've been trapped with it ever since. Darry's been with me the last few days."

"She saved my life," explained Darry. Jack nodded.

"That thing carried off my little brother," said Jack Jr. "I had just been making fun of him. I said a lot of shit I regret."

"Don't worry," Antares said softly. "Billy forgave you." Both Jacks stared at her in shock. "Billy. That was his name, yes? Blond hair, blue plaid shirt?" The two men nodded dumbly. "I'm very sorry. If it's any consolation, his soul is at peace now. He's with his grandfather, and his mother."

"How?" croaked Jack. "How do you know this?"

"I found his body," Antares replied sadly. "I'm a Wiccan, so I was able to send his spirit on to find peace. I believe he visited you, Minxie, in dreams, trying to warn you and your friends of the danger you were in." Minxie nodded. Antares sighed. "I hope that you'll still consent to give us a ride to the next police station. I'd really like to call my family."

"Oh, of course," said Jack, collecting himself. "Yes, you two climb in the back there with Minxie. We'll give you a ride."

"Thank you very much," said Antares somewhat sadly. "And I am truly sorry about Billy. "

"Thank you," said Jack quietly as Antares and Darry climbed into the back of the truck. They related their stories on the way to the sheriff station, and heard Minxie's and the two Jacks' in return. After that, they all rode in silence until they finally reached the station. Antares helped Darry out and the two thanked Jack for his help.

"If you ever need me, here's my farm," said Jack, handing them a piece of paper. "I'll have that monster locked up there."

"It's too dangerous to let live," said Antares quietly. "I swear that one day I will destroy it. I may not be able to kill it, but I will hack its body to pieces and bury them across the country. See if it can live like that!" Jack nodded, and so did Darry.

"I hear ya, girl," said Jack. "I hear ya." He paused for a moment, then turned off the truck. "Know what? I'm gonna stay here with you kids 'til your folks come for you. I just don't feel right leaving you here." Darry and Antares smiled gratefully as Jack Jr. and Minxie stepped out as well.

"And you're sure that thing is…well…" said Antares, her voice trailing off.

"It's safe," Jack Jr. assured her. "Daddy harpooned it with its own knife." Antares shuddered; she remembered that knife. Again she started rubbing at the scar on her arm. Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Darry.

"We need to get something for your back, there," she said.

"Fine with me," Darry replied. The group entered the building, gave the officer at the desk some vague story about an accident, and requested first-aid for Darry, which he immediately received. While the medic was patching him up, he noticed Antares standing staring at the phone with her arms folded. "It works better if you pick it up," he commented.

"Hmm?" asked Antares, turning around. "Oh, right." She gave a small laugh.

"This is what we've been fighting for, remember?" Darry said gently. "Go on. They're waiting for you."

"I know," sighed Antares. "I know. It's just so strange, after so long that they must have thought I was dead this whole time…"

"I know," said Darry soothingly. "But now you can put their fears to rest. Go ahead. I'm right here with you." Antares smiled back at him and turned back to the phone. Shakily she picked up the receiver, put in her money, and dialed the number that had been running through her head for twenty-three horrible days.

_Ring…ring…ring…_


	9. Phone Call

Phone Call

Mira Starr was once a beautiful woman, but no longer. After the loss of her daughter, she became haggard, sickly and pale. Without her child's constant laughter and light-hearted jokes echoing through the house, Mira just wasn't the same woman she had been. She withered away, sinking ever deeper into misery and depression. No amount of medication could cure or curb the descent. All her son and husband could do was grieve with her and watch helplessly as she continued to decline into sickness and despair.

Sirius and Rigel went out late one night for a run to the grocery store to get milk. Mira was left home alone to mourn and bewail her daughter's fate. Oh, it wasn't to say that she didn't love her son, far from it. But the horror of seeing that winged monster take her little girl, seeing the fear in eyes that always sparkled with laughter and mischief, hearing from her friends that this monster was…_carnivorous _and the likelihood of Antares living to see the dawn was just too much for her. She was holding Antares's favourite shirt, sitting on her bed and crying as usual when the phone rang. She ignored it, forgetting that she was alone and there was no one else to get the phone instead. Finally she remembered and angrily snatched the phone from the receiver.

"What is it?" she snapped, irate that someone would dare disturb her solitude.

Mira Starr was once a beautiful woman. And that beauty returned in an instant with the utterance of one single, simple word:

_"Mommy?"_


	10. Revelation

Revelation

"Mommy?"

Mira couldn't believe her ears. She didn't dare after all her delusions and hallucinations that her daughter was alive and talking to her. But this one seemed so real. Could it be that her dearest wish had finally come true? No, impossible; she had seen the monster that took her baby. This had to be someone's sick joke.

"Who is this?" she demanded shakily.

"Mommy, it's me," said Antares softly. "Ana, remember? Your daughter."

"My daughter died almost a month ago," said Mira angrily. "If this is your idea of a joke, missy-"

"No, Mom, it's really me," said Antares, pained. "It's me. I'm alive. I'm OK. Please believe me."

"No," said Mira. "You're just another stupid kid who thinks my grief is a source of entertainment! You're lucky I don't call the cops!"

"Mommy wait, please don't hang up," Antares pleaded. "It really is me, Antares Joyce Starr, and I can prove it any way you want. Ask me anything that only Antares would know."

"I don't have time for this," growled Mira.

"My father tends the sheep!" said Antares desperately.

Mira froze, her finger hovering over the OFF button. "What did you say?"

" "My Father Tends the Sheep"," said Antares softly. "It's a lullaby. You used to sing it to me when I was little, and rock me in your rocking chair. You know, the one with the red padding with teddy bears on it. My favourite colour was green when I was that little, but I changed it later on. The carpet in my bedroom is emerald green and the walls are midnight-blue with metallic silver ragged over. I have a Celtic unicorn tapestry on my bed and a veil of deep purple with silver stars and moons. I have a scar on my left forearm that's four and a half inches long exactly from where I had a birthmark removed when I was ten years old and in fifth grade because kids were teasing me about it." She paused, catching her breath. Her eyes stung with tears as she whispered, "Mom. Mommy. This is me."

There was silence at the other end, and Antares feared that her mother had hung up. Then she heard a joyful shriek:

_"Ana!"_ Her mother burst into tears at the other end, and Antares began crying freely too, so great was her joy. "Ana, you're alive! You're really, really alive! Oh my baby! My baby girl!" They both just cried for a few minutes. Finally Antares got her breath back long enough to say, "I'm running out of time on this phone, Mommy. I'm at the Poho County police station, about twenty miles outside Pertwilla." She listened for a moment before replying, "Yes, in Ohio…yes, I'm OK…I'll tell you everything later. For now, I'd really like to come home…Mommy, don't cry anymore. Please don't cry. It's OK now. I'm back. I'm so sorry you worried so much, but I couldn't contact you. I tried, believe me, I tried…I know you love me; I love you too, so much. Please bring me home."

"Of course, of course honey," said her mother, barely able to speak for joy. The door opened and she heard her husband and son enter. "Sirius! Rigel! Come in here quick! You'll never believe what's happened!"

"Mom? Are you OK?" called Rigel as he and his father rushed into the room.

"She's alive! She's alive, and I'm talking to her now! She's alive!" cried Mira. She didn't need to say a name for them to know who she meant.

"Ana's _alive?"_ cried Sirius. In response, Mira set the phone to speaker.

"Mommy? Mom, what's going on? Who's there?" asked Antares.

_"Ana!"_ yelled Rigel.

_"Ana!"_ yelled Sirius.

"Daddy? Rigel? Is that you?" asked Antares excitedly. "It's me, guys! I'm OK. I'm alive. Oh, I'm almost out of time on this phone. Mommy knows where I am. Please come get me. I really want to come home. I love you-" And the line went dead as her money ran out.

Antares sighed in relief as she sank onto the bench where Darry sat. He smiled and put his arm around her.

"You really OK?" he asked.

Antares nodded. "I am now. They're coming for me, I know it. Mom knows where I am now, so they'll be here as soon as they can."

"North Carolina's a long way off," said Darry.

"I don't care," Antares replied. "All I need is the knowledge that they're going to be here soon, that they know I'm alive and waiting for them. You should've heard how happy Mom was. I've never heard her that happy before. And Dad and Rigel. I can't wait to see them." Darry nodded understandingly. Antares turned and smiled at him. "Now it's your turn."

Darry nodded and rose, walking over to the phone, picking up the handset, putting gin his money, and dialing a number. He waited for a while, fearing that no one would answer, 'til at last the phone clicked and a familiar but very tired voice answered, "Yeah, hello?"

"Trish?" asked Darry softly. There was no response for a while.

"Who the hell is this?" demanded Trish unsteadily.

"Trish, it's me, Darry," said Darry. "Or Brat, whichever you prefer. It's your brother."

"My brother's dead, you sick son of a bitch," hissed Trish. "You bastard, calling me like this, how dare you."

"Trisha, it's really me," Darry said. Then, as if struck by inspiration, he said, "Trisha? Trisha, why are you driving home for Spring Break with your brat brother and not heading off somewhere with that nice Mr. Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy?" There was no answer, but no dial tone either so Trish hadn't hung up. Darry tried once again, half-singing, _"You broke my heart in two/ Now I can't find the duct tape to put it together for you/ When I met you I thought I would die/ I wanted to cry/ Didn't know you were evil/ Or that you would hurt me/ Mr. Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy."_

"Oh my God," Trish whispered. "Darry? Dare, is that really you?"

"It's me," said Darry softly. "It's really me, and I'm really alive. I'm at the Poho police station we ended up at."

"How?" croaked Trish. "How can it be?"

"There was a girl," said Darry softly. "You remember that concert Mom and Dad went to in Easton? To see that singer Antares Starr?"

"Yeah," said Trish. "But she disappeared almost-"

"Twenty-three days ago?" Darry asked quietly. "He took her, Trish. And he kept her. She's alive still; she's here with me. And she saved my life. I wouldn't be here if not for her."

"I wouldn't be here if not for you," said Antares softly, but Darry didn't seem to hear her.

"We got away, and that thing is sleeping or whatever," Darry continued. "We're at the Poho police station, like I said, and I could use a ride home."

"Oh, of course!" said Trish. "Oh my God, I still can't believe it. Darry, I'm sorry I was such a princess-bitch before. I'm sorry I always had to win. I did make up that rule about calling the license plates when you see them. And I'm sorry for all the names I called you. I love you, Dare."

"Call me Brat, OK?" said Darry gently. Trish burst into tears at the other end of the line. "It's OK. None of that stuff matters. It never did. I love you too, sis."

"I'm sorry I dropped you down the pipe," sobbed Trish.

"It was an accident," said Darry soothingly. "It's OK. Everything's OK now. I'm almost outta time on the phone. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, OK? I missed you all."

"We're coming to get you," said Trish softly, her voice cracking. "Don't go away again, OK?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Darry assured her. "Love you, sis."

"I love you too, Brat," she said softly. Darry smiled as the time ran out and he hung up the phone. He turned to Antares.

"You saved me too, y'know," she told him as he sat next to her. "I wouldn't've had the guts to try and escape on my own. If you hadn't helped me…" Her voice trailed off.

"Tell me something," said Darry, situating himself as comfortably as possible on the bench. "Say Trish and I hadn't gone back to the church after what we saw. Say we had just kept going and I never fell down the pipe and saw what was down there."

"He'd still have come after you," said Antares, anticipating Darry's question. "He'd already smelled your fear, when he scared you on the road like you told me. He knew one of you had something he wanted. He would've caught up with you at the diner or on the road. Once he has the scent of something he wants, he can't stop 'til he gets it. It's like an addiction to him. But I don't want to talk about this now. I'm exhausted, and I just want to sleep without nightmares for once."

"Sounds like a great idea," said Darry, yawning. Antares drew her legs up on the bench and leaned back, trying to get comfortable. Darry put his arms around her and pulled her against him, letting her lean against him. She smiled and closed her eyes. Darry followed suit. Soon the two young adventurers lay asleep in each other's arms, never dreaming that the nightmare wasn't over yet.


	11. Eye of the Storm

**A/N:** I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update, but something's wrong with my Internet connection and I can't get to work as often now. I apologize, and hope that I'll be up and writing with my usual speed soon. I thank you for your patience.

Eye of the Storm

"Uh, Sarge? A chopper just landed on our roof. Sir?"

Officer Tubbs looked up. "What kind of chopper?"

"We don't know. It's got a strange sort of crest on the side, a red one. We can't identify it. Looks like it's private-owned."

"Well, send some men up there and see what they want. Is someone watching those kids?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. I don't want anything to happen to them. Last time that boy was here, poor kid was hurtled through a window and carried off by some bat-outta-Hell-type creature."

"You don't need to worry about him anymore." It was Jack Sr. who spoke now. "He won't be bothering these kids or anyone else for a long time. And that chopper on the roof is probably the girl's family. They'll be wanting to see her immediately, I assure you. Have your boys escort them down here to her, why don't you?"

The first officer nodded and went up to the roof. Tubbs looked at Jack.

"Don't let anyone wake those kids 'til the girl's parents get down here. They've had a rough time of things lately." With that, Jack turned and went back to his son and Minxie. Darry and Antares were still snuggled against each other, sound asleep and without nightmares for once. It was sweet to see them like this, especially if you knew what they had been through together. The Starr family found them lying thus when they were escorted down from the roof.

_"Ana!"_ gasped Mira when she saw her daughter. She recognized her even with her strange new hair. Indeed, she didn't even notice, so great was her joy at seeing her missing daughter again after so long. Antares didn't stir, but Darry did, blinking the sleep from his eyes and sitting up slowly so as not to disturb his companion. He noticed the family of three staring at him and Antares and guessed who they had to be. Smiling, he turned to Antares and gently shook her shoulder.

"Ana. Hey, Ana, wake up," he said softly. "There's someone here to see you."

"Hmm?" mumbled Antares as she raised her head slowly and yawned. "Ah, wassa matta hmm?"

"Someone's here to see you," Darry reiterated. Antares rubbed her eyes, looked up, and froze. Her emerald eyes widened as she stared at the family she had lost.

"Mommy?" she whispered, rising slowly off the bench and stretching out her stiff muscles. "Daddy? Rigel?" Mira, her mother, gave a cry of elation and ran to her long-lost daughter. Antares opened her arms to welcome her mother in. Her father and brother joined them immediately. All of them were crying, each trying to hold Antares to himself/herself. Darry smiled as he watched the sight.

"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it," sobbed her mother joyously. "You're alive, you're here, I'm holding you again."

"I'm here, Mom," said Antares softly. "I'm here. And I'm never leaving again."

"Ana, what in the holy hell happened to you?" Rigel asked, drying his eyes. "That-that thing…what was it? Where did it take you? Oh, your hair, what happened to your hair?"

"I kinda like it," said Antares softly. "That thing…some call it the Creeper. Caitlin and Courtney must've told you something about it, right?" Her family nodded.

"They told us that thing, whatever it's called, eats parts of people for twenty-three days every twenty-third spring," said Sirius. "They also said that…that your chances of…of…"

"Don't think about that," Antares said gently. "I'm OK. That thing didn't want to kill me. It wanted my spirit. My soul, _chi_, whatever. But don't make me tell you everything I've seen and done because you don't want to hear it. Just don't ask me that."

"Oh my God, what happened to your hand!" cried Mira in horror, finally noticing Antares's lack of a right index finger.

"Mom, no, it's OK," Antares insisted, but her mother just stared in horror.

"OK! _OK!_ How can you _say_ that!" Mira cried.

"I know, maybe I should have told you before, but I didn't want to scare you any more than you've already been scared." Antares sighed sadly. "The Creeper did that to me when I tried to escape from him a second time. The first he only gave me a warning. Don't freak out, please. I'm OK, really." Her mother didn't look convinced, but she nodded.

"Who's that?" asked Rigel, nodding to Darry. Antares followed his gaze.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should've introduced you. Everyone, this is my friend Darry Jenner. Darry, this is my mother, Mira, my father, Sirius, and my brother, Rigel. Darry's the one who saved me, you see. He gave me the strength and the courage to escape."

"It's good to meet you, Darry," said Sirius, extending his hand to Darry. Darry shook hands with each of Antares's family members. Mira gave him a small, warm hug.

"You poor thing, were you carried off by that monster too?" she asked gently. Darry nodded.

"Your daughter saved my life," he said softly. Mira and Sirius smiled proudly at their daughter.

"Darry's waiting here for his family too," explained Antares. "I…wanted to wait with him." She turned and smiled at Darry. "After all we've been through, I can't just leave yet."

"I understand, honey," said her mother reassuringly. "We'll all wait with you, Darry."

"Mom's very affectionate, and treats everyone like her kids," Antares whispered to Darry.

"I hadn't noticed," Darry whispered back with a smile. Antares's eyes lit up as she got an idea and whispered something to her mother.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Mira said with a grin.

"What?" Darry asked Antares. "What's a great idea?"

"You'll see," Antares singsonged with a grin. Darry rolled his eyes, but smiled and sat down on the bench with Antares to wait for his own family reuinion.


	12. Sibling Affection

Sibling Affection

"So, you guys got here by chopper?" asked Darry.

"Sure did," answered Rigel. "Dad nearly killed us in his hurry."

"Hey, we were all anxious to get here as fast as possible, OK?" said Sirius, his face reddening slightly. Antares laughed freely.

"Aw, that's sweet in a weird kind of way," she said.

"Are you guys famous or something?" asked Darry.

"Not really," Antares replied with a casual shrug. "We're just kinda filthy stinking rich is all. Did I forget to mention?"

"Yeah," said Darry, dazed. "Yeah, you did."

"My bad," said Antares sweetly. "I do make a notable amount singing, but I'm not exactly going on a world tour. My friend Courtney and I made a website, and just for giggles we put sound clips of us singing, together and solo, on the site. Turns out some hotshot record company guy heard us and liked what he heard. He contacted us, and we made an album that sold reasonably well. We started getting offers from producers and music companies that were looking for fresh, new singers, and we did stuff like the Easton State Theatre gig. We had another gig set up for the week after I was taken, but I don't know what happened with that."

"Courtney couldn't do it," said Mira gently. "She didn't have the heart. She hasn't sung and has barely spoken since you disappeared. Same with Caitlin, though she wasn't much of a singer in the first place." Antares gave her a look. "Oh, I'm not saying Caitlin's a bad singer! I'm just saying that she didn't sing as much as you and Courtney did as far as I know." Antares smiled.

"I knew that." She turned back to Darry. "Sorry I didn't mention this before, but I was kinda preoccupied." Darry nodded understandingly.

"So, how'd you get your fortune?" he asked, looking fro m Antares to her family members.

"My father and grandfather were treasure hunters of a sort," explained Mira. "They worked with Sirius's father, which is how we met. They found a lot of ancient ruins and priceless artifacts, and Daddy built his fortune on the ten percent finder's fee he received and split with his companions. Trust me, even after a three-way split there was still a fair amount, especially considering what some of the relics they found were worth. Eventually he settled down as age began to get to him, and spent his time with his family and his inventions. Daddy's always inventing something, though he'll drop everything to play with his grandchildren. For my wedding, he invented some bizarre sort of unicycle that plays music from metal disks when you pedal. He did a routine with it, and someone made him a fabulous offer that he couldn't ignore. I told him it was all right and that he should sell the invention, so he did and invested with the company who reproduced it. It was a huge success, particularly with circus people."

"Wait a second," said Darry, turning to Antares, "you're the MusiCycle heiress?"

"Yah," said Antares with a sheepish grin. "Grampa was very proud of that one. He'd like you. Maybe you'll get to meet him some time."

"Yeah, maybe," said Darry distantly. He looked at the door and sighed. "How long has it been since I called my family, d'you know?"

"A few hours," Antares said, glancing at the clock. "Two and a half, maybe three. We've been talking for a while." She looked at Darry. "They're coming, Dare. They're on their way. Don't worry."

"I just can't help thinking about the last time Trish and I were here together," Darry sighed. "I can still hear her screaming, that thing sniffing us both, the glass shattering…"

"Talk to me," said Antares gently, sitting down on the bench once more. "Tell me what you see." Darry sat next to her but didn't look at her.

"Jezelle told us to run upstairs," he said dispassionately. "That psychic I told you about. Her name was Jezelle. She said she had dreamed about everything that had happened to me and Trish that day. She said the Creeper would find us hiding in a room. Well, he did. There was a blackout, and we couldn't get out. We ran and hid like she said, but there was no way out still. I tried to get Trish to come with me and find a window that would open, but she tried to get me to stay where we were. The Creeper burst through the two-way mirror and grabbed us both. He sniffed us each a couple times and threw Trish aside. He held me tightly, choking me, one arm around my throat, one around my chest. The police burst in, but didn't do anything. What could they do? Trish pleaded with the Creeper to let me go and take her. I told her not to be a hero, like I said the other night, remember? I was afraid the Creeper would do as she said for a second, until he jerked me around and smashed through the window. Trish ran after us as far as she could, screaming my name as he carried me away through the air. Then, well…you know the rest." Antares was silent, her eyes narrowed in compassion. Slowly she put her arms around him in a gentle embrace. After a moment's pause, Darry reciprocated. The two just sat thus for a time, neither speaking. Nothing needed to be said that could be said with words. All that they needed to express was there in their arms.

"I did the same thing," said Mira softly. The kids looked up at her, slightly startled. "I ran after that monster when he took Ana as far as I could follow."

"I didn't hear you," said Antares softly, wonderingly. "I didn't see you."

"You weren't looking down, sweetheart," Mira replied gently. "You're too scared of heights."

"No," said Antares softly, smiling at Darry. "I was too scared of heights. Now there's one thing for sure: I'm not afraid anymore." Darry smiled at her approvingly. A bell chimed as the front door opened. Darry's head snapped up hopefully as a blond-haired young woman hurried through the door. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Darry sitting on the bench. Darry slowly rose from his seat, staring at the girl."Trish?" he croaked. "Trisha?"

"D-dar-ry?" stuttered Trish, hardly able to believe her eyes. "Is it really you?"

"What's Poly-Psi-Guy been doin' to you, anyway?" Darry asked quietly. Trish gave an unintelligible cry and rushed to her brother's arms. He caught her up and swung her around, both of them laughing and crying for joy. A brown-eyed blond woman and a hazel-eyed brown-haired man rushed in and joined the hug, surprising Trish and Darry both. Darry's eyes grew wider with joy at the sight of his parents and he hugged them both. His sobbing mother kissed him repeatedly on both cheeks, holding him as though she'd never let him go. Darius Sr. held his entire family in his arms with a look in his eyes as if he feared he'd never hold them again.

Antares stood back in her own family's arms, watching her friend's tearful reunion with a dreamy sort of smile. Rigel noticed and whispered, "What's up, Super Starr?"

"Hmm?" asked Antares, glancing up at him. "Oh nothing. I'm just happy." She smiled and tears leaked from her eyes down her face. "I'm so happy." Her voice broke as she spoke and she started crying again softly. Darry turned and saw her as she was drying her eyes.

"Oh," he said, wriggling gently out of his family's slightly-suffocating-but-loving-nonetheless embrace and going over to Antares. "Guys, this is Antares Starr and her family. Ana's the one who saved me. Twice, in fact. She stopped the Creeper from killing me, and she showed me the way out."

"I wouldn't've had the courage to follow that way if not for you," said Antares, blushing. "Darry, what I was whispering to my family before, you want to know?" Darry nodded. "I thought it might be nice, if you wanted, for you and your family to spend the week at our beach house in North Carolina. It's really beautiful, and so peaceful and quiet. We own our own private section of beach, too."

"It sounds great," said Darry with perfect honesty. He turned to his family. "What do you think?"

"It sounds absolutely wonderful, and it's just what you two need after an ordeal like this," declared Selene with finality. "Oh, I'm so rude, my dear, I'm Selene, Darry's mother. This is his father, Darius Senior, and his older sister, Patricia."

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you," said Trish, extending her hand to Antares.

"Nice to meet you too," said Antares. "I've heard a lot of nice things about you." Trish smiled at Darry. "This is my mother, Mira, my father, Sirius, and my older brother, Rigel." Introductions and how-do-you-dos were made all around for a few minutes. At length, Antares and Darry both yawned as one. Their respective families smiled.

"Maybe it's time we were on our way," Mira suggested gently. Everyone agreed. Antares and Darry turned to Jack Sr., who was still there watching over them.

"Thank you," said Antares. "For everything. For stopping for me, for getting us here, for watching over us until our families came, everything." Smiling, she hugged him lightly.

"Thank you so much," said Darry. "I don't want to think about what might've happened to either of us if you hadn't come."

"No problem, kids," Jack replied with a smile. "You need me, I'm here." He handed them each a business card with his phone and address.

"And here-" said Jack Jr., taking the cards briefly and writing on the backs before handing them back "-here's where I'm at." He had written an AIM screen name on each card.

"And you take care of that monster's carcass," Antares added. "Because I'm coming back for it some day. Do what you want with it, make what you can off it for the next twenty-two years and 360-some-odd days, but keep it for me. I'm going to destroy it. I will dismember it, burn it's pieces to ashes, and bury them across the continent and see if it can live and terrorize that way." Jack nodded.

"I'll be waiting for you," he said. He hugged both kids briefly, and his son did likewise.

"Thanks for Billy," Jack Jr. whispered to Antares. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Jack Jr. smiled back and headed out with his father.

"C'mon," said Sirius gently, putting one hand on each teen's shoulder. "Let's go home."

**A/N:** Oh, don't think it ends there! There's still lots more to come; I just wanted to add some lighter chapters in there with all the horror and gore. But the horror and gore will make a comeback, I promise!


	13. Calm Before the Storm

**A/N:** So sorry it's taken so long to update _again,_ but my Internet connection has finally been restored so hopefully this'll be easier now.

Calm Before the Storm

The Starr family chopper was impressive, huge and black with the ancient family crest in red on both sides. Were the two families not so distracted, what with just finding out that their missing-and-presumed-dead children were still alive and restored to them, they might have been more appreciative. As it was, they only cared about having their children back again and going somewhere where they could relax in the serenity brought by living by the sea and try to forget the horrors they had all endured, most of all Darry and Antares. They sat opposite each other inside the massive copter, each sitting with their family members, minus Sirius, as he was flying them. Darry and Antares talked together and with their families, trying to catch up on whatever they had missed and avoid the topic of what had happened to them since they had disappeared. By and by, fatigue overtook them both and they could see it in each other's eyes. Antares glanced briefly at the floor between them and looked up at Darry again. Darry smiled and nodded, and the two slipped off their comfortable seats, stretched out on the floor together, and promptly fell asleep for the rest of the flight to North Carolina. By chopper, it only took them about an hour and a half to two hours to get back to their personal landing pad on the roof of their rather large old Victorian house. Neither Darry nor Antares showed any signs of waking, so their respective fathers each gathered up his child and carried him/her down the rooftop stairs and into the very comfortable house. Just before they reached the door of the stairs, Antares whispered, "I smell the sea," and gave a small smile. Asleep or not, she knew she was home again. Darry didn't speak, just smiled in his sleep. Their family members smiled at them both as they carried the sleeping pair inside. Quite understandably, both families were reluctant to let their beloved children out of their sight even for the night, so Rigel and Trish set up the large family room to accommodate them all with sleeping bags, air mattresses, and blankets and pillows. The futon couch they opened up and their fathers laid Antares and Darry down on it together. The rest of the family members settled themselves on the makeshift but cozy beds on the floor around the pair.

"You seemed to know what you were doing, there," commented Trish to Rigel softly as they settled into sleeping bags near each other (the families had intermingled, most likely as a sign of friendship). "You've done this before?"

"A lot," replied Rigel. "Sleepovers, slumber parties, all that. What's really fun – and don't make fun of me for this – is when Ana and I have these mock campouts. We clear all the furniture out of the room and set up a small tent to sleep in. We build a fire in the fireplace there, roast marshmallows, make s'mors, tell ghost stories – and let me tell you, if you hear one of Ana's ghost stories you will not sleep peacefully for a _week_. And she makes up her own! She's got a great imagination, but she doesn't live in the "real world" so much as she should."

"Wow," said Trish. "Sounds like fun. It's great that you and your sister get along so well. God-" she broke off, shaking her head "-when I think of how I was treating Darry the last day we were together…I can't believe I was such a bitch. I made fun of him, made up new rules to beat him in this stupid car game we were playing, rode him down even after he climbed out of that basement looking like he had just seen a glimpse of Hell. I'm the one who dropped him down the pipe. I told him we shouldn't go back, but he wanted to make sure there was no one there who needed help, and to help anyone who did."

"It was an accident," said Rigel gently – Trish had told him everything up to when Darry was carried off by the monster. "You didn't mean to." Trish sighed and looked over at Darry.

"I never got to tell him that I love him," she said quietly. "He's my annoying little brother; he's embarrassed me, he's bugged me, he's invaded my privacy, he's made my life a living nightmare…and I love him for it."

" 'You never know how precious something is to you until you lose it,' " said Rigel with the air of someone quoting a famous line. Trish looked at him thoughtfully.

"Who said that?" she asked curiously.

"Ana," replied Rigel, turning on his side. "She says a lot of very meaningful things. Y'know, she never ever buys Hallmark cards or anything? She always makes her own. For Mom, every Mother's Day and for her birthday, Ana writes her an original poem and they almost always make Mom cry. In a good way, I mean. Ana's a writer; she writes stories, poetry, little blurbs that just come into her head, anything."

"That's really cool," said Trish, and she meant it. "Darry's more of a joker; he's always telling or playing jokes, but he's really funny. I made fun of him for that, too. I called him a goof. Now I realize that I love that too. He's a fun-loving guy, really carefree and kinda foolish." Rigel smiled and looked up at their younger siblings thoughtfully. The two were now cuddling, holding each other in sleep. Rigel thought of everything that Antares had said to him on the ride home, telling him how wonderful Darry was, and how much he had come to mean to her in such a short time, and how Darry had said similar things when they had all switched their seats around so they could all talk to each other at some point. Antares had spoken with Trish, too, and now Rigel wondered what she had said.

"Hmm," he said contemplatively.

"What?" asked Trish.

"I'm just thinking," said Rigel. "I think that your brother is in love with my sister."

"Really?" said Trish with interest, following Rigel's gaze to the futon where Darry and Antares slept. "Well _I_ think that _your sister_ is in love with _my brother."_

"How interesting," commented Rigel with a grin. Trish returned the grin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking," said Trish, "it's time to play Cupid."

Rigel laughed softly. "My thoughts exactly. But tomorrow." And he stifled a yawn. Trish did likewise with a nod. Both settled down in their sleeping bags and fell asleep with thoughts of matchmaking.

_'Endless darkness…where is that?'_

Antares woke without opening her eyes. The darkness remained, but it was sacrosanct, devoid of monsters and horrific screams of agony. She didn't want to open her eyes. She had been having a wonderful dream about finally being free of the monster and home with her family. She had even smelled the salty sea air of home in her dream. But it had to be a dream. But still, the smell lingered…slowly she opened her eyes. She lay on a futon bed in her own family room with her parents and brother lying on the floor around the futon, mixed in with Darry's parents and sister. Darry lay asleep beside her, looking so peaceful and sweet in his relaxed state that Antares smiled. She looked all around again, remembering everything. There was one difference between the family room she remembered and the one she was in now: there were pictures of her all over, covering every available surface. Looking into the kitchen, she saw even more pictures. She breathed in deep and smelled the sea air she had been longing for all this time.

"Home," she whispered. "I'm…home." She could hardly dare to believe it, but there she was, home again in the beautiful old Victorian house by the sea she loved so much. She smiled and joyful tears stung her eyes. Darry stirred next to her and sat up slowly.

"Wha-? What happened? Where are we?" he asked thickly.

"We're home," Antares said. "We're in the house by the sea. Remember? I told you about it. This is where I live. This is my home."

Darry looked around. "It's beautiful," he said softly. He smiled when he saw his family lying asleep on the floor around the futon. Antares touched his hand, putting a finger to her lips and gesturing for him to follow her when he looked up. He nodded and followed as she led him carefully over and around the sleeping bodies and to the glass doors out to the balcony. Dawn was just breaking over the ocean, the rising sun staining the crystalline waters flaming rose and tangerine. Antares sighed and smiled as she watched it.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she asked. "I used to come out here to meditate at dawn, sunset, and under the four major phases of the moon."

"It's great," said Darry. "It really is. It feels like everything that happened was just a bad dream now, like it didn't really happen."

"Well, it's so unreal," agreed Antares. "It could've just been a bad dream, save for the scars we both bear." Darry nodded resignedly. "Scars fade. Wounds heal and close. Time passes. Life goes on. And I finally truly believe that things are really going to be OK now. I can try to forget now, let the memory just wash away in the flow of Time." Darry smiled.

"I think you're right." He looked at her, and was surprised at how she looked. Her shining white hair caught and held all the colours of sunrise, and her silvery-white skin reflected their radiance. Her eyes sparkled like the jewels they were coloured as, and she smiled a small dreamy smile that somehow conveyed all the joy the world had ever known. This was no ordinary girl. This was a mystical and beautiful creature that the gods never intended this world to know…Darry shook his head, wondering what he was thinking. He averted his gaze from Antares and gazed back at the water.

Antares gazed at Darry. Helios's touch was kind to a face that needed no kindness. The gentle light of dawn gave Darry's skin a golden glow that Antares had never seen before in the darkness of their prison. A soft breeze ruffled his thick, soft brown hair, blowing it back from his face, which gave him a pensive, distant look. His puppy-brown eyes still held the light that had guided her out of the cold shadow of fear under which she had lived for so long, and now showed a hidden mischievousness that she hadn't seen before. His eyes were full of laughter and fun, and she found herself wanting to make him laugh, make him smile so his eyes would crinkle up at the corners in that endearing way that captivated her…she gave a small start, forcing herself out of these thoughts and turning her attention back out to the sunrise. She didn't want to think about the sunrise, sunrises came and went every day. She wanted to think about Darry, sweet Darry, handsome Darry, brave and strong Darry, Darry who had saved her from the beast.

_'Out of the dark, back to the light. Then I'll break down the walls around my heart,'_ she thought. _'Didn't I promise myself that? And I'm back in the light, thanks to him…'_

"Wow, I'm hungry," she said aloud. "You like pancakes?"

"Sure do," said Darry, turning back to her. Neither could easily meet the other's gaze, though they didn't find it strange somehow that the other couldn't. Antares led Darry back inside and to the kitchen, offering him a glass of orange juice and setting it on the counter in front of him when he politely accepted. He offered to help, but she graciously declined, saying she preferred to cook on her own. They talked quietly together, trying not to wake the others, as Antares mixed up pancake batter and poured it onto the hot griddle she had set up after she got Darry his juice. Noticing that the others were stirring, she made a big stack of pancakes and, after serving a couple up for herself and Darry, covered the others to keep them warm.

"Want anything with those?" she asked. "We've got strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips…" her voice trailed off as she glanced at Darry to see if any of these sparked his interest.

"Chocolate chips," he said. Antares grinned and sprinkled his pancakes with the sweet morsels, as well as her own, taking a seat next to Darry when she was finished. Soon the two were laughing and talking as they enjoyed the best breakfast they had had in a while. Soon their families had all woken and joined them.

"Oh sweetie, you didn't have to make breakfast," protested Mira. "If you'd woken me up, I would've-"

"I wanted to," Antares interrupted her gently. Mira hugged and kissed her daughter, as did Sirius, and Darry's parents to him. Mira hugged Darry as well, though, but he just smiled and said good morning. Trish came over and kissed Darry's cheek. He smiled up at her and hugged her.

"Hey, why don't you kids all head down to the beach after breakfast?" suggested Sirius. "Ana, Rigel, your mother and I have to head out for a little while, but we'll come back and join you, OK?"

"Sounds good to me," agreed Rigel. "Ana, Darry?"

"'Eh, frur," Darry said through a mouthful of pancake. He swallowed and translated, "Yeah, sure. Sounds great."

"Love to," said Antares, and she meant it. She loved the sea; loved everything about it. "And it's such a beautiful day." She finished the last of her pancakes and turned on her stool to face the great bay windows facing the water, sipping her milk thoughtfully. Though they hadn't even been to the water yet, and Darry was certain that this wasn't something you could tell just by looking, he swore he heard Antares murmur, "The sea is cold today."


	14. Changeling Child

Changeling Child

After breakfast, and Antares giving in to her mother's insistence that she and Sirius clear the dishes, Antares showed Trish to her room and Rigel showed Darry to his so they could borrow bathing suits. Though separated, two very similar conversations took place.

"So I noticed you were out on the balcony with Darry earlier," commented Trish casually.

"Yeah?" replied Antares, and little too quickly. "The sunrise over the water is beautiful. He was awake, so I wanted to show him."

"Oh really?" asked Trish in the same casual manner. "From the way you were gazing at him, I'd say you have a little thing for my little brother."

"I, uh, well," stammered Antares, her face flushing bright pink. "I-I wouldn't say that _exactly…"_

"Then what _would_ you say _exactly?"_ asked Trish with a smile. Antares didn't answer. "Well, let's make it easier. I'm guessing you are as of yet unsure about how you feel, correct?" Antares nodded. "Well, tell me everything you like about Darry. Everything, physical or otherwise. Go ahead, just start talking and it'll get easier as you go along."

"Uh, well he, he saved me from that monster, the Creeper," offered Antares.

"Good, good, keep going," said Trish.

"He made me believe that we could get away from it when I was too afraid to," continued Antares, relaxing a little as she spoke. "He stayed with me and held me when we were both terrified. He's a really good-hearted person, what with going back to that pipe to see if there was anyone there he could help, he's not so full of himself that he refuses to show emotions, he has a kind of innocence that's really sweet, he's really cute, he has those adorable puppy-eyes that no girl can resist, his eyes crinkle up at the corners when he laughs and that's so cute, and oh my God I have a thing for your brother." This last statement was made so matter-of-factly that Trish laughed.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed," she said, putting a hand on Antares's shoulder.

"Well what would he see in a girl like me?" protested Antares. "Look at me! I'm a freak!"

"No, you're not," said Trish firmly. "You're pretty, and I'm sure that Darry can see that as easily as anyone else. You've got a lot to offer, really. I've been talking to your brother, Rigel, and from what he says you're a pretty cool girl. Just give it a chance. Go with the flow."

"And drown in the undertow," added Antares bluntly. "I've gone down that river before."

"Well this time you've got a life preserver. I'll be here for you, and so's your whole family now. Plus, you and Darry have been through a traumatic experience together, and that brings people closer."

Antares laughed gaily, feeling the sound echo all around the room.

* * *

"So I saw you looking at my sister when she was making breakfast," commented Rigel as he and Darry each removed their shirts. Darry glanced up.

"Yeah, so?" he asked in an odd voice. "She was the only interesting thing there to look at. Uh, I mean-"

"Oh, so you find my little sis interesting?" asked Rigel.

"No. Well not _no,_ but, uh, I didn't mean…" Darry floundered for words, until he saw Rigel grinning at him. "What?"

"You like my sister, don't you," said Rigel. It wasn't a question, and Darry knew it. His face turned red.

"I, uh, er…"

"Well?"

"Maybe," Darry said in a small voice. Rigel laughed gently.

"Well, what do you like about her?" asked Rigel. "Just pretend that we're just two friends half drunk in a bar checking out a cute girl sitting alone at a table with a book."

"Well, she saved my life," said Darry slowly. "Twice, really. I'd've never known about that hollow pipe if she hadn't shown me. And she took care of me when that thing…well, uh…" He turned around so Rigel could see his back. Rigel gasped in shock.

"Good God," he breathed. "What happened?"

"The Creeper whipped me for trying to protect Antares," explained Darry, turning back to face him. "Ana stopped him and helped me. She made this clay stuff to patch me up. And she helped me get to the road when we were running and my back opened up again. She looks like she needs a hug all the time, and I kinda want to hug her. She's pretty, in an ethereal kinda way. Her hair's like moonlight, and it lit up the darkness we were trapped in. And her eyes, like, have their own light, y'know? She looks so unreal…she _is_ unreal. I've never met anyone like her before, and I seriously doubt I ever will again. She's amazing; I saw her speak with a dead boy just before we got away. I never believed all that Wicca/witchcraft stuff before, but now I do. I believe everything when I'm with her; she just makes it seem like everything I've been told is real is a lie, and it's _un_reality that's the truth, and I like your sister." He seemed surprised at himself for saying it, but he didn't try to take it back. He looked at Rigel as though awaiting judgment. Rigel just smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Oh come on, you really think I'm gonna go for it? Nah, no way."

"Why not?" asked Rigel calmly. "Let me tell you a little something about Ana: she likes fun-loving, playful, goofy kinda guys, but guys who can also be a little romantic at times. She likes guys who'll give her roses and chocolates and go on thrill rides and play boardwalk games with her. And she likes guys with dark eyes and longish hair. Just something to think about." He patted Darry's shoulder again and left with a smile and a pair of red swimming trunks. Darry stared after him for a few minuets before changing into the trunks Rigel had lent him: black ones with flames around the bottom. As he changed, he thought about what Rigel had said. He _did_ like Antares, there was no doubt about that, but he thought he just liked her as a friend, someone who had shared a horrific experience with him. Would she even like him back? _Could_ she like him back? …_Did_ she like him back? He shook his head slightly. Well, whatever. Besides, she was three years younger than him…although, she _had_ said that what mattered more was that two people love each other when he asked her her opinion on his fake best friend who was dating a fake girl three years younger than him. Why had he asked her that, anyway? Just to see what she would say? To know if he had a chance? Why?

* * *

Antares dressed slowly in her large closet while Trish changed in her bedroom. She had a thing for Darry; she couldn't deny it to herself now. But he was three years older than her…though he seemed to share her opinion when he asked how she felt about his best friend who was dating a girl three years younger than him. But why would Darry like her? Then again, they _had_ been through a lot together…and she knew that he at least liked her as a friend…maybe more, considering they had appeared to be cuddling when she woke. Or maybe she was the one who had cuddled with him. No matter what she thought about, it all came back to her attraction to Darry. He was sweet and smart and strong in heart, mind, and body. The fact that he was really cute didn't hurt either. Physically, he was just her type, but she always tried to look for what was inside a person first.

_'C'mon, what've you got to lose?'_ coaxed a voice in her head. _'Look, you try for something with him and if it bombs, he's leaving at the end of the week and you don't have to worry about it.'_

"I don't want him to leave," whispered Antares. "I want him to stay here…with me." She smiled and made up her mind to try and get closer with Darry. She finished dressing and rapped smartly on the closet door. "Trish? You done?"

"Yeah, come on out," came Trish's reply. Antares did so. Trish had chosen her red bikini with black roses on it.

"Damn it, that suit looks better on you than me," said Antares with a grin. Trish laughed.

"Well, you haven't tried it with your new look yet," she replied, looking at herself in Antares's mirror. "'Sides, you look great."

"Yeah, I think I've lost about twenty pounds off my body and twenty years off my _life_," muttered Antares, but she smiled. Living off veggies and fear _had_ done something for her once-mediocre figure, she had to say. And the shimmery emerald green bikini she wore, which looked like dragon scales, _did_ look pretty good on her with her new appearance and emerald eyes. Smiling, she slipped her feet into a pair of black sandals and wrapped a see-thru black and silver sarong around her waist. Once dressed, the two went out and discovered that the boys had already gone down to the beach with the blankets and umbrella. Antares's parents shooed the girls off with their towels, promising to join them soon with Trish and Darry's parents, they just had to go out quickly. Accepting this, the girls headed down to the beach where their brothers waited.

* * *

Darry and Rigel looked up as the girls approached, and Darry stared when he saw Antares.

"Wow," he breathed. "She looks awesome." Rigel grinned.

"Well you'd better get that starfish outta your pants before she gets down here," he advised. Darry flushed beet red and shoved Rigel, who only laughed.

* * *

"What are you looking at?" inquired Trish.

"Your brother," replied Antares distantly. Realizing what she had said, she quickly added, "Uh, that is, I mean…he looks good in those trunks, he's got a nice build…" her voice trailed off and she blushed. Trish laughed.

"Just give it time," she advised. "It'll all turn out good, you'll see."

Darry and Rigel had already set up the blanket and umbrella, so the girls just tossed down their towels.

"OK, anyone up for some beach volleyball?" asked Rigel. "We've got a net and a ball here-"

"Now we just need teams of five," said Antares with a laugh. "Tell you what. How about when all our parents get back, we play adults against kids?" Everyone agreed with this suggestion.

"So what should we do 'til then?" asked Rigel.

"Well, we _could_ go swimming," Trish offered. Again, everyone agreed.

"Race ya!" crowed Antares. Everyone took off running for the water. Antares made it first, followed by Darry, Rigel, then Trish. The water was warm, leading Darry to wonder why Antares had said it was cold. He just shrugged it off and swam out to join Antares and her brother, who had passed Darry whilst he was lost in his own thoughts. The four splashed and played for a while, playing Sharks and Minnows, Marco Polo, and other kind of silly kids' water games. No one cared how silly they were; they were just having fun. After a while, they split up into two teams of two, Trish and Darry against Rigel and Antares in some new game they were trying to make up. Trish and Rigel grinned secretively at each other. They had a different idea.

"So are you gonna get her drunk first, or jump ahead to 'Kiss mah tattoo, baby'?" Trish asked Darry. Darry slipped and nearly fell.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, trying not to look at her or Antares.

"Oh come on, do you really think no one's noticed?" laughed Trish. "You have a crush on Ana. Go on, say it!"

"No way," said Darry through gritted teeth.

"Come on, Dare," said Trish, more gently. "Maybe she likes you back. You never know. You like her; I know you do. So talk to her. Try and start something." Darry shook his head, then he sighed.

"I don't know," he sighed. "Rigel and I were talking about this before, and he said she might like me, but I don't know."

"Just trust me, OK?" coaxed Trish. "I'm you big sister; have I ever led you wrong before?"

"Yes," replied Darry, but he smiled. "I'm not gonna get her drunk, to answer your original question."

Trish just smiled.

"So I've noticed you hanging around Darry a lot lately," commented Rigel conversationally.

"Yeah, so?" asked Antares. "He's my friend. We've been through a lot together."

"Not to mention that you're totally crushing on him," added Rigel with an impish grin.

"Well that too, but-" Antares broke off when she realized what she had said. "No, I didn't mean…you tricked me!" Rigel laughed.

"C'mon, did you think I wouldn't notice? I'm your big brother; I'm supposed to pick up on these things. 'Sides, I think he likes you too."

"You're joking," scoffed Antares. "I'm just a kid to him. We're friends, but seriously, come on."

"I'm not 'coming on'," said Rigel patiently. "I think he likes you. I've seen the way he looks at you. What have you got to lose?"

"The only friend I've got who truly understands what I've been through," said Antares quietly.

"Let's not try to be a martyr, shall we?" asked Rigel. "I'm just saying that I'm a guy, and I know when a guy's sweet on a girl, OK? Just spend some more time with him, get to know him. You might be pleasantly surprised." Antares sighed.

"I haven't had much luck in love in the past," she said.

"Forget about Patrick," Rigel said gently. "Patrick was a prick. Darry's different; you know that. Just think about it, OK?" Antares nodded. She flexed her fingers so they cracked, and felt her nails graze her palms. Closer inspection revealed them to be far too long. With a small shrug, she carefully bit them down to size as she always did when she didn't have nail clippers available. Not the neatest way to do it, but it got it done. She nipped the last bit of the first nail off and started to spit it out again when she stopped. The nail tasted different on her tongue…sweet, almost. She rolled it around in her mouth for a moment, intrigued. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had swallowed the nail and started casually on the next as though nothing strange had happened. She stopped mid-bite when she realized what she had just done. She grimaced, disgusted. She felt strange, and not just from what she had done. There was an emptiness at her centre that wasn't there before, and a feeling of not-belonging. She felt, just for a fleeting instant, that she wasn't supposed to be playing here with these 'human cattle'. She should be…should be…

_'What the…what did I just do?'_ she thought, stunned. _'Why the hell did I do that? …What's wrong with me?'_


	15. Growing Pains

**Disclaimer:** I don't "Never Let Go". 

Growing Pains

Antares kept the strangeness of her actions to herself, hoping that her mind had just been wandering and she hadn't actually meant to eat her own fingernail intentionally. But as she swam and played with her friends, she couldn't help but think of how _good_ it had tasted. She gazed at her friends as they laughed and splashed in the water, Darry dunking his sister and Trish squealing for help while Rigel just laughed. Antares smiled.

_'I wonder…what do_ they_ taste like?'_ she mused. _'Young, living flesh, running with hot blood…'_ She shook herself abruptly, horrified. What was she _thinking?_ How could she been thinking that about her friends, her _family? 'Something is seriously wrong with me. Why am I thinking this way? It's almost like I'm-'_ She stopped mid-thought, not wanting to even _consider_ the possibility that she was in _any_ way like the monstrous Creeper. But still, it would make sense…she shook her head again to clear it of such thoughts. _'I am _human_,' _she thought decisively._ 'I am _nothing_ like the Creeper. Whatever's going on, it's probably nothing. I mean, what could he really have done to me?'_ Slightly satisfied, she rejoined her friends and soon let the ocean wash her fears away as she splashed and played with her friends.

A bark from the beach made her look up. Her parents and Darry and Trish's had returned, and Sirius was leading a great black dog. Behind them came two young girls, about Antares's age.

"Oh my God," said Antares softly. She started swimming back to shore with strong, powerful strokes until she touched the sandy sea floor and walked out the rest of the way. She started walking towards the group, then stopped. She appeared to be waiting for something, or maybe apprehensive about going up to them. Darry guessed that the two girls were Antares's best friends, Caitlin and Courtney, and seeing them again after so long would be different. The two girls had been walking with their heads down for the most part, but when they glanced up they saw Antares standing there, the water lapping around her ankles, and they stopped dead for a moment, staring. Suddenly they took off running towards her, eyes wide and disbelieving. They stopped a few feet before her and approached slowly.

"A-Ana?" whispered the shorter girl with the flaming red streaks in her short brown hair. "I-is it r-really you?"

"H-how can this be?" whispered the taller girl with short dyed-black hair.

"Hey guys," whispered Antares in a cracked voice, smiling through tears of joy. "Long time no see, huh?" With a cry, the two new girls ran to Antares and hugged her tightly, and she them, and they all just stood together for a while, laughing and crying and hugging, all of them babbling nonsense until they all calmed down.

"Oh God, Ana, we thought you were dead," said Short-With-Red-Streaks. "Th-tha-that thing, we thought it was gonna…gonna…"

"It did," said Antares softly. "In a way. It consumed my soul, my spirit, my life-force. But I'm OK now. I'm OK."

"We were so sure we'd never see you again," croaked Tall-With-Black-Hair.

"Here I am," said Antares.

"Oh Ana, what happened to your hair?" said Short-With-Red-Streaks softly.

"That's what happens, apparently, when someone drains one of one's spiritual energy every night for twenty-three nights," replied Antares. "Oh! I have to introduce you to someone very special." She turned back to her friends still in the water and gestured for them to join her. When they had, she said, "You guys, this is Darry Jenner and his sister Trish. Darry's the reason I'm here right now. If it hadn't been for him, I never would have had the guts to try and get away. Darry, Trish, these are my best friends Caitlin-" she pointed to Short-With-Red-Streaks, "-and Courtney-" she pointed to Tall-With-Black-Hair.

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Darry. "And it's actually thanks to Antares that I'm here. The Creeper would've killed me if she hadn't stopped him. And I never would have known about the hollow pipe that got us out without her." Antares smiled at him.

"Oh my God, your _hand!"_ Courtney nearly shrieked. Antares looked at her hand.

"You noticed that, huh?" she said levelly. "He did that the second time I tried to escape and he caught me." She looked up and added, "But let's not think about that right now. All I want to think about is that I'm back home with my family and my closest friends. That's all I need right now."

"I respectfully disagree," Rigel muttered to Trish, nodding at Darry. Trish grinned but said nothing. "She definitely likes him; there's no question. But she's so shy, I don't think she'll do anything."

"Yeah, Darry really likes Ana too," said Trish, "but I think he has the same problem. I don't think either one of them wants to risk what they have for something more." Rigel nodded.

"Well, we'll have to make them see that some risks are worth taking," said Rigel decisively. Trish nodded in agreement.

"Korrigan!" cried Antares, bringing attention back to her. She rushed over to the black dog, who, it turned out, was actually a black _wolf._ He wagged his tail joyfully, straining at his leash to get to Antares, who dropped down in the sand beside him and hugged him, laughing as he licked her face.

"Who's this?" asked Darry.

"It's Korrigan," said Antares. "Korrigan's my best animal friend."

"She found him when he was just a pup," explained Mira. "He was all alone, his family killed by poachers. Ana rescued him and gave him to a nice zoo nearby. She'd take care of him there, going to see him every day. Little furball to a liking to her. He started howling and wouldn't eat when she stopped coming after…after she was taken," she said with strength. "The other zoo workers did everything they could. Finally Caitlin and Courtney came to take care of Korrigan, and he started eating again. But he always knew something bad had happened to the girl who had saved him; I'm sure of it."

"Animals have a sense of these things," Caitlin added in.

"Well, we knew that Ana would want to see Korrigan as soon as possible," continued Sirius, picking up where his wife left off, "so we've adopted him." Antares looked up in surprised. Sirius smiled down at her. "That's right, pumpkin. Korrigan's yours now." Antares gave a small cry and jumped up to hug her parents.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she cried, her words nearly blending into one in her joy. Korrigan barked happily as Mira let him off his leash. He didn't run off, but stayed right by Antares's side, nuzzling her leg. She turned to Darry and Trish.

"Korrigan," she said and then, very clearly, "Darry. Trish. _Friend."_ She pointed to each one as she said their names. As soon as she said 'friend', Korrigan eagerly approached them, sniffing their hands and legs, jumping up playfully, demanding to be petted. Darry and Trish both complied, rubbing his sides and ears.

"Well aren't you _gorgeous,"_ gushed Trish, rubbing Korrigan's stomach as he turned on his back, tail thumping against the sand. Antares laughed. The rest of the late-morning-into-late-afternoon went well; the kids and Korrigan went swimming for a while, they all played volleyball, kids against parents like they planned (the kids won), and they enjoyed a wonderful lunch of subs, soda, Cheetos and potato chips. Full, hot, tired, and very, very happy, the children one by one stretched out on towels and beach blankets and fell to dozing. Darry and Antares, of course, lay close together. It may be for this reason that they had the same peculiar dream:

_Darry opened his eyes and looked around sleepily. Something was wrong. He jumped up as he realized he was back in the factory basement where he and Antares had been held prisoner. What the hell was he doing here, and how the hell had he gotten here? He didn't care; he just wanted to get out again as fast as he could. He ran for the hollow pipe, but found, to his dismay, that the segment that pulled off had been welded back on. He had no way out. He heard a sound behind him and spun around. All he got for his troubles was a dart in his neck._

_When he came to again, he was lying inert on a long examination table, completely paralyzed. No matter how he tried, he couldn't move a muscle. He wasn't bound or strapped down; whatever had been in the dart must have done this to him. He tried to struggle, but couldn't even do that. And the footsteps were back. He looked up, fearful…but then relaxed when he saw Antares coming towards him out of the shadows._

_"Ana," he breathed in relief. "Thank God. Ana, I can't move. You gotta help me get outta here, OK? The pipe's been closed up, though, so I hope you know another way out. How'd we get here anyway?"_

_"I brought you here," replied Antares smoothly. "No one else knows about this place, save maybe for that Jack fellow. But he is of no consequence right now. No one is. No one knows we're here." Darry didn't like the coldness of her voice, or her wicked-looking smile._

_"Ana, what are you talking about?" he asked. "What's going on? C'mon, help me up, please?" Antares didn't answer, just breathed in deeply through her nose and sighed, smiling._

_"Ah, it _is_ intoxicating," she mused. "I never understood before, but now I do. _Fear._ I can almost taste it. What an interesting and versatile emotion, don't you agree?"_

_"No," said Darry, shaken. "I don't. What the hell is going on? What's wrong with you? Wait a minute, your eyes…what's wrong with your eyes?"_

_"Whatever do you mean, Darry?" asked Antares with false sweetness. Her eyes had turned a fierce tawny that no human eyes ever were. Darry's own brown eyes widened in fear and realization. Antares laughed cruelly. "Oh don't worry, Darry. I don't want your eyes. No, I just want you. You see, I'm still young and inexperienced. I need you here in case I fail to catch my prey. Don't want to starve, you understand." Grinning the same feral grin as the Creeper, she came up to him. Darry gave a small, despondent cry as he realized what was happening._

_"What has he done to you?" he whispered. "He's made you like him. But how?"_

_"You'll have plenty of time to ponder that, my dear," she told him. She bared her teeth, which had grown long and pointed, and ripped into him cruelly. He howled in agony and despair as she consumed his right index finger. She grinned at him through blood-stained teeth. "I could take the whole thing, but I don't want to start out with more than either of us can handle." And she laughed. And laughed. And laughed…_

"Darry?"

"Ah!" cried Darry, his head snapping up, eyes darting around wildly. Antares was sitting on her heels next to him, concern evident in her eyes. "What? Where? Was it just a dream?"

"Yes," said Antares gently. "You were just dreaming. _Nightmaring_ is more like it, actually. You were jerking around so much, I was afraid you were going to hurt yourself. Are you all right?"

"Yeah," said Darry, catching his breath. "Yeah, I think so." He took a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Finally he sighed and tilted his head back, leaning back on his elbows. "God, that was…ugh," he said with a shudder. Antares nodded sympathetically, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"I can only imagine," she said, not wanting to tell him her dream. Darry nodded. Antares could still see his heart pounding in his chest, actually _see_ it moving. Darry closed his eyes, still shaking a little from fear that his nightmare had been real.

"God," he said softly. "Sometimes I'm still so scared that he's gonna come back, y'know? I'm so scared that all this, this peace that we've managed to find, it isn't going to last."

"Oh Darry," whispered Antares, but he didn't seem to hear her. She squeezed his hand gently, playing with his hair unconsciously. Darry closed his eyes, enjoying her loving touch. Gently, Antares began to sing:

_"I can't understand it;  
the search for an answer is met with a darker day__  
And we've been handed these moments forever__  
But I'm reassured there's another way__  
_  
_You don't have to close your eyes; there is room for love again.  
Face the truth to realize  
all that love can be.__  
Forced apart by time and sand;__  
take a step, and take my hand__  
And don't let it go!__  
Never let go!_

_Broken, once connected;  
we were so strong and so blessed in a simple way.  
So don't let me go it alone!_

_Turn your head up to the sky,  
nothing down below but me.__  
Ease the pain and realize__  
all that we could be.__  
Torn apart by rage and fear,__  
hold on to what brought you here__  
And don't let it go!__  
Never let go!_

_Turn your head up to the sky,  
nothing down below…  
Don't let go!"_

Darry smiled as Antares sang, her clear, pure voice washing over him and through him, purging him of all fears and doubts. He closed his hand over hers and held it.

'_Hold on to what brought me here and don't let it go,'_ he thought. _'Ana brought me here, and I never want to let go. I'll never let what I dreamed happen to her. Besides, how could he do that? No, he'll never touch us again, ever.'_ He smiled, content. Antares closed her eyes as she sang, trying to decipher her own nightmare, never dreaming that Darry had had the same one. What could it mean? Was she in some way like the Creeper? No, no, impossible, she was _nothing_ like him. But still, the dream…and her strange thoughts from that morning…it all added up…

'…_to what? What does it mean?'_ she thought. _'O great Hecate, O Lady Persephone, hear the cry of thy nightkind childe Antares Starfire…what's happening to me?'_


	16. A Secret Most Grim

**A/N:** I don't know if I have to disclaim the Elvish, but I got those on a website online if it makes a difference. Oh, FYI, there's a brief conversation in Elvish, so I'm putting in the translations in bold next to the Elvish that is spoken. What's in bold is _not_ spoken. K? Goody.

A Secret Most Grim

Antares had some difficulty falling asleep again, but she managed somehow. Darry, however, could not. He lay beside Antares for a while with his eyes closed, but it was no use, and eventually he gave up. Rigel, Sirius, and Darius were playing Frisbee, Trish was either tanning or sleeping (or both), and Mira and Selene were talking together. Darry was pretty much on his own. He gazed at Antares for a moment and noticed, for the first time, that she had a small tattoo of a red rose curved around her belly button. Unconsciously he touched his own rose tattoo, smiling. He wondered if it was real.

_'Probably not,'_ he thought._ 'After all, she's still only sixteen; her parents probably wouldn't let her get a real one.'_ He looked around, absently drawing pictures in the sand with his finger, until he noticed something: Antares's small backpack. Benji wasn't in it anymore, that much was obvious, but it looked like something was. Curious, Darry picked it up and reached in, pulling out her folder with her pictures in it. He wondered if he should be looking at it without Antares knowing. He figured she probably wouldn't mind, and opened the folder. Several pictures lay inside. The first one was of the sunrise over the sea, not yet coloured in. The rest were. The next picture was of him, and it made his blood freeze. He was drawn with enough of his bare waist showing to indicate that he was naked, though nothing was revealed. His bare torso was somewhat dirty, and there were long bloody scratches on his shoulder. His mouth hung slightly open, a scream forever frozen on his lips. But all this was not was horrified him. In this picture, his eyes were missing. All that there was were two great gaping holes clear through the back of his head, rimmed with blood that dripped down his face. Behind him, the Creeper looked through one of the eyeholes with a brown eye stolen from Darry. Darry shivered. Was this what Antares had saved him from? He shuddered again and quickly turned to the next picture. This one was interesting and fantastical. It apparently depicted the Creeper's demise, one arm raised to shield itself from the blow of an angelic being above it. The angel had six black wings and held a glowing sword above his head with both hands. He wore a white and gold skirt that actually looked pretty manly, and no shirt. His hair was wild, blown back by the wind. His eyes were narrowed, flashing fury and fire, and his mouth was opened, perhaps giving a battle cry or a roar of blind fury. There were strange markings at the bottom of the page that Darry couldn't read. Curious, he continued to the next and final page. Here was limned the velvety black cloak of night, full of stars and a glorious moon, far too big to be real. The six-winged angel was back again, only now his wings were silver where kissed by the moonlight. The magnificent blade from before hung at his side now. His hair and face were both smooth and calm, and he smiled affectionately at the girl he carried in his arms. Her white hair and astonishingly green eyes instantly identified her as none other than Antares herself, smiling up at the angel with the same affection he gave her. Her white arms were around the angel's neck as she lay like a small child in his arms. She wore a long, Renaissance-style gown of emerald green and silver. In her hair she wore the moon, and in her eyes, the stars. The eyes of the angel shared those stars. They looked like they were about to kiss, or like they had just been kissing. Darry could almost see Antares lean her head against the strong shoulder of the angel. There were more of those strange marks at the bottom of this page, but again, Darry could not read them. He sighed as he studied the angel-figure again, wondering why he felt jealous. He noticed something suddenly that he had missed before: a black mark on the angel's stomach. Closer inspection revealed it to be a black rose just like Darry's. He turned quickly back to the last picture. There it was again. The angel was himself. He stared at both drawings, wondering what they meant and wishing more than ever that he could read the writing at the bottom of both. He didn't get much time to study them, though.

"What are you doing?"

Darry nearly jumped out of his skin, he was so startled by the unexpected voice that spoke behind him, soft though it was. He spun around to face Antares, who was sitting up behind him, perfectly awake and aware, with a sad look in her eyes.

"Ana, I-" he started, but the words evaporated in his throat. What could he say? He had invaded her privacy, and she was upset. At least, he thought she was upset; it was hard to tell. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just wanted to see-"

"What did you want to see?" asked Antares in a quiet voice that was somehow worse than if she had been yelling at him. He would rather she had yelled; at least it would have been normal. But she just gazed at him with sad, tired eyes and spoke softly and levelly.

"I don't know," said Darry softly. "I really don't know." In response, Antares pulled out the picture of Darry's death and held it up, making him look at him.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" she demanded, anger now creeping slowly into her voice. "Is it? You wanted to see; look! Look at it! Look 'til your eyes burn!" She rose, her eyes flashing green fire, threw the picture at him, and went away across the beach, disappearing into the rocks that made up the cliff on which the Starr mansion was perched.

"Ana, wait! I'm sorry!" cried Darry, jumping up. Something in him prevented him from following her. He cursed himself and sighed. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand brush his shoulder, then relaxed when he saw it was only Trish.

"Darry," she said gently. "You're my brother and I love you. But I have to tell you – you're a schmuck." Darry nodded glumly, turning his head to gaze after Antares. "Why did you look through her folder without asking her?"

"I don't know," said Darry sadly. "I just wanted to see…what she sees. _How_ she sees. She doesn't see the way other people do. I wanted to look through her eyes and see what the world was like then. I thought…I thought it might be better than the way I see it." Trish was surprised at this.

"That's beautiful," she said softly. "Why didn't you tell her that?"

"I don't know!" cried Darry. "I don't know anything when she's not around! Things only made sense because she was here, and now that she's gone I don't know anything!"

"Then I think it's about time _she_ knew that," said a new voice. Rigel came up to join them. He picked up the two angel pictures and pointed to the strange markings at the bottom of the battle picture. "This is Elvish script. It says _'Gurth gothlye'_. And this one-" he broke off and pulled out the night sky picture "-this one says _'Aratoamin ar a'maelamin'_."

"And what does all that mean?" asked Darry, a little apprehensive.

" _'Gurth gothlye'_ means 'Death to our foe'," said Rigel. He paused for a moment.

"And the other?" pressed Darry.

"The other?" asked Rigel drawled. "Oh yes, the other. _'Aratoamin ar a'maelamin'_. That means 'my champion and my beloved'." Darry was silent, dumbstruck. "Ana has a fascination with different languages, including fake ones like Tolkien's Elvish. She knows a lot, but isn't exactly fluent."

"Oh man," said Darry quietly, his eyes wide.

"I'll talk to her," said Rigel, going over to the rocks. Darry watched him go.

"Please let her forgive me," he whispered.

* * *

"Hey," Rigel said. Antares looked up at him, her eyes huge and brimming with tears.

"I don't know why I'm so upset," she whispered. "I just thought…I don't know, I just…"

"Shh," said Rigel gently, hugging his little sister. _"Amin sinta thaliolle e dagor._ **I know your strength in battle**,**_" _**he said gently. Antares looked up at him quizzically.

_"Amin n'rangwa_** I don't understand**," she said. _"Mankoi ro uma tanya?_ **Why did he do that?"**

_"Nwalmaer. _**Tormented one**," he replied, still gently, _"Est. Lasta amin. Darry mela lle. Lle sinta sina. _**Rest. Listen to me. Darry loves you. You know this**." Antares stared up at him. Rigel smiled at her.

_"Lle vesta?_** Do you promise?**" she asked. Rigel nodded. _"Amin uuma sinta._ _Amin mela ho ana. _**I didn't know. I love him too."**

_"Amin sinta. Ar Darry sinta ana. Nan lle hama nyar ho._** I know. And Darry knows too. But you have to tell him."**

_"Amin merna nyar ho._** I wish to tell him**," said Antares, nodding. She looked up at her brother one last time. _"Nan, tul ro súrion amin?_ **But, will he forgive me?**" Rigel smiled again.

_"Darry mela lle_ **Darry loves you**,_"_ he repeated firmly. He extended his hand and helped his sister up. Together they returned to where Darry and Trish waited for them. Trish smiled when she saw them coming.

"Hey guys," she said. Darry's head snapped up.

"Ana," he said in relief. Then, stumbling a little, _"Cormamin lindua ele lle._ **My heart sings to see thee**." Antares's eyes widened in surprised and she smiled. But Darry wasn't done, and he held up a finger to indicate this. _"Ed' i'ear ar' elenea, amin naa vanima. Oio naa elealla alasse'. Melamin, arwen en amin, amin mela lle ar amin naa tualle. Mani uma lle merna? Lle tul caela ilya lle merna._ **By the sea and stars, you are beautiful. Ever is thy sight a joy. My love, my lady (formal), I am your servant. What do you wish? You will have all that you wish**." Antares laughed outright.

_"Diola lle._ **Thank you**," she said. _"Nan ilya amin merna naa lle ar lle mela_** But all I want is you and your love**." Darry clearly didn't understand what she was saying.

"Um, I was just repeating what Trish told me I should say, so, um…" he said, his voice trailing off. Antares laughed again.

"Do you know what you said?" she asked.

"Sorta, kinda, no," replied Darry. Trish laughed and whispered the translations in his ear. Darry's eyes widened and his face reddened as he listened…but then he saw the way Antares was smiling at him, so shyly and softly. Trish also translated what Antares had said (Trish also had an interest in linguistics) and stepped back, waiting.

"Did you mean it?" asked Antares. "Now that you know what it is?"

"Yes," whispered Darry.

"So did I," Antares whispered back. The two hugged tightly, smiling. "Come with me, and don't let anyone follow," Antares whispered in Darry's ear. Darry nodded and Antares stepped back, smiling still, and turned towards the water with a meaningful glance. Soon all four were dancing among the waves. Rigel noticed Darry and Antares swimming away from him and Trish, but didn't bother them. Soon the two submerged and didn't come back up.

"Should we be worried?" asked Trish, already worried.

"Nah," said Rigel. "She's taken Darry to the secret grotto. Even I don't know where it is. The entrance is somewhere underwater, and I haven't been able to find it. I admit, I'm not trying too hard 'cus it's Ana's special secret spot. Taking Darry there shows how much she feels for him." The two gazed after their lovestruck younger siblings for a while, then swam back to shore and goaded their parents into a volleyball game of men versus women.

* * *

"Where are we?" asked Darry as he and Antares surfaced in a cave.

"We're deep inside the cliff," said Antares. "No one knows where this place is except me. We'll be safe here. We can talk here." Darry turned to her in confusion and concern, and sat down on a squishy, damp chair next to her. What Antares had failed to mention to anyone, and the reason for her erratic behavior over Darry looking through her folder, had been that she had had another nightmare. But this one was far worse than the last that she and Darry had unknowingly shared. This one had revealed to her what exactly was wrong with her, what was causing the strange urges and bizarre thoughts. She had run from Darry because she had feared his finding out, and wanted to use his tiny invasion of her privacy as a reason to not care for him anymore, but she just couldn't. Now it was time to tell him the truth that she herself had just discovered.

"Ana," said Darry gently, taking her hand and squeezing it. Antares looked at him. "Whatever you need, I'm here. I'll always listen when you need me. You can tell me anything."

"I hope you believe that," said Antares miserably. "Because for what I'm about to tell you, you'll have to.


	17. The Beast Within

The Beast Within  


"This isn't easy for me to say, any more so than it is for you to hear. You told me about a psychic woman, Jezelle, correct?"

Darry nodded in response, but didn't speak. Antares continued heavily:

"Was she, by any chance, a boisterous, heavy black woman?"

Darry nodded again.

"I dreamed of her. I dreamt I was with her at night in the police station in Poho. I ran after her as she tried to walk away from me, and I was yelling, 'Are they ever wrong, are your dreams ever wrong? Answer me!' Finally she stopped and turned, and I nearly ran into her. 'Yes,' she said sadly. 'Yes, all right? They are.'(**A/N:** I actually had this dream, no joke) Then the dream dissipated, replaced by a new one. But first I should tell you of the nightmare, the one I had when we were both sleeping. I saw us together in the factory basement again, but this time it was I who had brought you there. I paralyzed you with some sort of serum. I laughed at you, enjoying your fear. And I…I ate one of your fingers."

Darry's eyes had been growing wider and wider as she told him this, and his mouth had been slowly dropping open. "The right index finger," he whispered, in a voice no stronger than the whistle of a teakettle. Antares looked at him.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"I…I had the same dream," croaked Darry. Antares's eyes widened.

"Oh," was all she could say. Darry just nodded. "Darry, I'm sorry. I don't want to tell you this because I know it will hurt you, and the last thing I ever want to do is to hurt you. I care too much about you, and you've been through too much pain already. But you must hear what I have to say." Darry nodded.

"I understand," he said, steeling himself. "I'm ready. I'm listening. Whatever you have to tell me, tell me without fear." Antares nodded, but her expression remained dark.

"I had another dream after the one with Jezelle," she said quietly. "In it, I saw myself standing on the beach. The sand…it was all red, saturated with blood. My friends, my family, your family – they were all dead, slaughtered, butchered like animals. I stood among them all, blood all over my face, arms, and clothing. They were all missing body parts, organs, _et cetera_. I had slain them all. Realizing this, I began to scream, screaming nonstop. The skies were rent with lightning and thunder, black clouds filled the air, and a blood-red rain began to fall. I heard laughter and looked. The Creeper stood on the cliff, laughing at me. I was half mad with fear, rage, and bloodlust, and I lunged at him, somehow clearing the distance from the ground to the top of the cliff. Creeper didn't seem surprised, but satisfied. He nodded as he looked at me appraisingly, sizing me up. Suddenly there was nothing left, no sky, no sea, no bloody massacre, nothing but us in endless white nothingness. I was trembling, terrified. I rounded on him and demanded to know what he had done to me. He only patted my head in an unbearably patronizing manner and told me that I would never destroy him. _I would seek him out._ He told me that one day I would go searching for him _to seek his aid._ I lunged at him again, but I missed this time and began to fall. I fell and fell and fell into the void, until my six-winged angel caught and held me. Then I awoke and saw you looking at those pictures. I'm sorry I reacted so irrationally, but I couldn't think straight. I didn't want you to see them, especially not the one of your death." She broke off for a moment and sighed, avoiding Darry's eyes. "So now you know. He's done something to me, Darry. And I think it has something to do with this-" she pointed to the red scar on her arm. "He put something into me, and it's making me…like him. I'm turning into a monster like him, one that feeds on fear and pain and death."

"Jesus Christ," breathed Darry in horror. "You poor thing." He took her into his arms and held her close. Antares had not been expected that. She had expected fear, disbelief, maybe even anger or hatred. She hadn't expected sympathy and compassion. Then again, she never did. Startled but relieved, she put her arms around him. Without realizing it, she began to cry. Darry put his hand on the back of her head, gently pressing her face against him, holding her tight.

"That abhorrent creature has caused me so much pain," Antares whispered. "He kidnapped me in front of my family and closest friends, all the people who matter most to me, tormented me, drained me of my life essence, locked me in a hole with those bodies. You want to know something?" she looked up at him. "About that church? My grandparents got married there. I never met that grandfather – my mother's father – but my grandma meant more to me than anything, and I was devastated when she died. And that sick son of a bitch made his nest there, defiled that sacred place with his murders and tortures. He knew my grandma was married there – he _knew!_ He did it only to torment me further. And now this! I don't know how much more I can take, Darry!" She burst into uncontrollable tears. Darry held her close again, swiveling from side to side slowly, making soothing little sounds and stroking her hair. It seemed she had been crying forever when Antares finally stopped, hiccoughing and breathless, wiping her eyes and face. Darry very gently took her face in his hands and tilted it up so their eyes met. It seemed to Darry that the lifetime of tears he had first seen in Antares's eyes when they first met was beginning to wane, to wash away. He smiled lovingly at her.

"I love you," he said, slowly and gently. "I care about you. And I know that you're stronger than this thing. You made him stop whipping me. You blatantly insulted him and didn't rise to his bait. You slashed him open with his own knife! Whatever's going on, I know it's different, but you can make it through. You've got to. I'm always with you, no matter what. Whatever's going on with you, we'll fix it together. OK?" Antares smiled and hugged him again.

"Thank you, Darry," she said softly. "I couldn't make it through all this without you." Still smiling, she traced the rose tattoo on his stomach. Darry gave a snort and sucked in his stomach quickly.

"Heh, that tickles," he said.

"Oh _really?"_ asked Antares, her eyes widening and taking on a mischievous sparkle.

"No," he said, backing away slowly. Antares grinned.

"I think it _does," _she said, advancing on him. "I think you're _ticklish."_

"No, not really, no," said Darry, still moving back. Antares jumped at him suddenly, tickling his bare abdomen mercilessly. Darry laughed helplessly, trying to get away. Antares caught his arms and pulled him back, tickling his underarms and back. Tears were streaming down Darry's face. "Stahahahahap, I c-c-can't breheeheeheeathe!" he wheezed, still laughing. Antares quickly stopped, noticing how red Darry's face was becoming.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you OK?" she asked while Darry caught his breath.

"Yeah, fine," he said. "But that's not the important question here."

"Really?" asked Antares, frowning. "Then what is?"

_"Are you ticklish, Ana?"_ With a wicked grin, Darry tackled Antares, making sure that she'd land safely on a rather damp beanbag chair, and started tickling her bare stomach and sides. Antares tried to hold in her laughter, but couldn't. She burst out laughing, trying to fight Darry off. However, Darry was stronger and heavier than she was, and simply laughed. His laughter redoubled when Antares started tickling him again. They rolled over and over each other across the beanbags, until they stopped, both breathless and panting, with Darry pinning Antares down. Both were sweaty and wet from rolling over the moisture that built up on the beanbags from being in an underwater cavern. Antares smiled shyly up at Darry. He grinned his wide affable grin back at her. She reached up and brushed a few sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes, lightly running her fingers down his cheek as she lowered her hand. Their eyes met. There was absolute silence, save for their breathing which had become rather heavy. Darry moved his hands off Antares's shoulders and to either side of her so he wasn't pinning her anymore. Antares didn't move now that she could. She just smiled at him. She wanted Darry to kiss her, and at the same time she hoped he wouldn't, not knowing that Darry fought much the same battle with himself. Most college girls he knew he'd be making out with by now, but Antares was different. She was special. What if she didn't want to? Then again, what if she did? He finally made a decision. Slowly he leaned down and lovingly kissed her cheek. Actually, he mostly kissed her ear, but he was aiming for her cheek. She made smiling sort of sound through her lips and gazed up at him with love in her eyes when he straightened over her again. She leaned up and kissed him squarely on the cheek (though, in all fairness, it's easier to kiss someone when you're leaning _up_ rather than _down_). Darry grinned a little foolishly and leaned back. Antares sat up completely, still smiling. Neither spoke for a time. What was there to say? They just sat gazing at each other, enjoying being with each other. Finally Antares broke the silence with these soft, hesitating words:

"Maybe we should head back?"

Darry's face fell a bit, though he tried to hide it. He obviously didn't hide it well enough, because Antares said quickly, "Oh no, don't take it that way! I just meant that I don't want the others getting worried and thinking we've drowned or something."

"Oh," said Darry, much relieved. "Yeah, you're right. We should go back." They rose as one and just stood staring at each other. Finally Antares leaned forward and gave Darry a small kiss on the cheek.

"The exit's behind you," she said softly.

"Oh right!" said Darry, his face reddening. Antares gave a light little laugh and they both plunged into the clear dark water. Darry followed Antares out and up to the surface. Their families were still playing volleyball, so they swam back to shore and rested on their beach towels, trying to recover from being waterlogged.

"So, is this real?" Darry asked Antares, tracing the rose on her stomach. She giggled and pulled away.

"Yes, it is, and it's ticklish," she said.

"Oh, it _is?"_ asked Darry with an evil grin. Antares's eyes widened as she realized what she had said.

"Now, when I said 'ticklish', what I meant was-" she began, but Darry didn't give her the chance to finish. He pounced on her, tickling her ruthlessly. She shrieked with laughter, trying to free her arms, which Darry had managed to pin underneath her, to retaliate. She managed to free one arm and attacked. Soon the two were rolling around in the sand just as they had in the cave, both shrieking and laughing uncontrollably.

"Get his neck; his neck's really ticklish!" Trish shouted.

"Trish!" howled Darry as Antares took her advice. "Whose side are you on!"

"Well I don't know her ticklish spots," Trish replied with a grin.

"Her ears are really ticklish!" Rigel shouted.

"Really?" Darry asked Antares as they both froze in surprise.

"No," said Antares, too quickly. Darry grinned and tickled her ears.

"I'm gonna kill you, Hair Gel!" Antares shrieked at her brother. Rigel only laughed. Finally the two were exhausted and lay side-by-side on the sand together, panting and grinning at each other (not panting like_ that_, you sick people!). Darry kissed Antares's cheek again, this time not missing. Antares kissed him back, then kissed his ear playfully. She paused for a moment, then kissed it again. Darry gave a yelp as she bit his ear, drawing blood. Not much, but it was still there. Both shot up, staring at each other. Antares put her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's OK," said Darry, holding his ear. "I was more surprised than anything. Jeez, though, that _hurt."_

"I'm sorry," Antares whispered, whispering it over and over again, more to herself than to Darry. "I couldn't control it," she said, almost inaudibly. "I couldn't contain it. It's hungry; it wants human flesh, and I don't know if I have the strength to fight it."

"Oh Jesus," said Darry, realizing. "Whatever's happening to you, that's what made you bite me, isn't it. It took control of you for a second, there."

"He's making me do this," croaked Antares. "He wants me to hurt you because I care about you. He wants to make me kill the ones I love most. I can't let that happen, Darry. I can feel it growing stronger in me. I can feel this human body dying all around me!" Her voice broke and tears filled her eyes.

"No, don't cry," said Darry gently, crawling over to her and hugging her. "Shh, don't cry. I'm here. I'm gonna take care of you. We're gonna find out what he did to you, and we're gonna fix it. He can't have you. I won't let him." Antares looked up at him curiously. "I won't let him," Darry repeated tenderly. He smiled at her and brushed away the tears that had trickled down her cheeks.

"What's going on?" asked Mira, who had run over with the rest of the group. "Are you two OK?"

"No," said Antares, very calmly and clearly. "There's something wrong with me, Momma." She looked up at her mother, infinite sadness in her eyes. "There's something so _wrong."_


	18. Introversion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _"Mi Morena"_, even though I changed _morena_, which means 'dark-haired', to _canuta_, which means 'white-haired'. 

Introversion

Mira and Sirius were loath to accept all that Antares told them, but there was no escaping the truth. And the truth was that Antares was changing in some way for the worse.

"But how is this even possible?" insisted Mira. "This can't be. There's no way this could be happening."

"Mom, if a winged reject of Hell can fly around scaring people and eating them, then it can change a human into one of its own," said Antares quietly. "I didn't want to accept it either, but that's the way it is. And we have to do something about it before it gets any worse. We may be too late now."

"No, don't say that," said Rigel, hugging his sister. "Whatever's going on, we're going to find out and stop it. We're not gonna let this thing take you like this, or any other way." Antares didn't respond, but she nodded. Darry, sensing her uncertainty, kissed her cheek. She looked up at him, surprised. He smiled lovingly at her.

"It's going to be all right," he said gently. "I promise. I'm gonna take care of you." Antares smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said softly. She sighed and stretched. "We should go back to the house. Mom, I think it would be best if you called Dr. Najmi and scheduled an MRI or something for me as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course honey," said Mira distantly, looking out over her daughter's head into the horizon.

"Mom?" asked Antares. "Mom, c'mon, I need you to hold it together." Trish remembered when she said those same words to Darry, so long ago, it seemed. Only she hadn't said them so gently. "Mom, snap out of it." Antares took her mother's arm and Mira looked down at her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "It's just that…"

"I know," said Antares. "I'm scared too. But I need you to help me, OK? Let's go call the doctor." Mira nodded, and they all headed back up the beach to the house, Darius and Sirius carrying the blankets and everything.

"This Dr. Najmi guy's a good doctor?" Darry asked Antares quietly.

"Yeah," said Antares. "He's a total jackass with a superiority complex so great it's a wonder his head doesn't explode, but a good doctor. Darry smiled. Antares looked up at him. "Did you know your full name means 'rich' in Aramaic and 'preserver' in Persian?"

"No I didn't," replied Darry. "Never really thought about it."

"Few people do," said Antares. "I just have this fascination with names and their meanings. Your nickname means 'dark' in Gaelic, and 'wealthy' in Irish."

"So I'm a dark, wealthy preserver, is that it?" asked Darry with a grin. Antares laughed.

"I guess so," she agreed.

"What does your name mean?"

" 'Rival of Ares'."

"Ares, the god of war?"

"The one and only. It can also mean 'rival of Mars', since Mars is another name for Ares, but I think it makes more sense as 'rival of Ares' since the name 'Ares' is already in my name."

"Cool." Darry gazed at Antares for a moment. She was smiling, but there was still sadness in her eyes. Gently he slipped his arm around her waist. She looked up at him and smiled without a trace of sadness as she put her arm around him in return. As they walked, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Darry kissed the top of her head. "Everything's going to be all right," he promised. "I'm always going to be here for you."

"_Amin mela lle,"_ murmured Antares. Darry smiled.

"I love you too," he said. He kissed her head again. "I love you too."

"I don't give a _damn_ how many other patients you have waiting for this procedure!" Mira snapped angrily into the phone. "My daughter has been infected with something that's mutating her metabolism in some unspeakable way, _I want her examined TONIGHT!"_ She paused, for a moment, listening. "I understand that, Doctor…I do _not_ care…Look, _I'll_ explain to your other patients, I'm sure they'll understand a worried mother…Good…Good bye." Mira hung up the phone and sighed, looking into the living room where Antares, Caitlin, and Courtney sat with Darry and Rigel. "Hon, you're going to have to skip showering off for now. Najmi moved a few other appointments around so he could fit you in in twenty minutes. We gotta go. Go throw on some clothes, and I'll tell Daddy."

"OK." Antares rose and went into her bedroom. Darry watched her go, and stood up.

"Mrs. Starr?" he said. Mira looked up at him. "I wonder if I could go with you. It's just that I promised Ana I'd stay with her, and-"

"You don't have to explain, sweetheart," said Mira gently, smiling. "I was about to ask if you wanted to come. I know Ana wants you to." Darry smiled.

"Thank you." Mira returned the smile and hugged him lightly before turning to go look for her husband. Darry's parents sat down with him, as well as Rigel who had just emerged from his bedroom.

"Y'know, normally if a guy started dating my baby sister, I'd have to threaten his life and well-being if he ever hurt her in any way," commented Rigel casually. "Somehow I don't think that'll be necessary with you, Dare. You've been through enough already." Darry grinned.

"You know I'd never do anything to hurt Ana," he said. "I love her." Selene hugged Darry, smoothing his hair in a motherly fashion.

"Oh Darry, I'm so glad to have you back," she said, kissing his cheek. For once Darry didn't pull away with a protest. Instead, he hugged his mother. "We were so shocked when Trisha told us what happened. We couldn't believe it, but when the policemen told us it was true, I just…I just…"

"Mom, it's OK now," said Darry gently. "I'm OK."

"But that poor girl, Antares, she isn't," said Darius.

"She's gonna be OK," Rigel assured them all. "She's stronger than most people think. She'll pull through this; you'll see." Antares came out of her room, dressed now in a black tank top, khaki shorts, and black flip-flops. Her wet hair was brushed and pulled back in a ponytail. Trish came out behind her, dressed and dried.

"What are we talking about?" she inquired.

"This and that," said Rigel vaguely. Antares laughed.

"That means you're talking about me," she said, grinning. She sat down on the futon and Trish sat with her. Antares looked and Trish and smiled. "My hair used to be longer than yours, not long ago."

"Really?" asked Trish.

"Twenty-five inches exactly," said Antares nodding.

"Why'd you cut it?" asked Darry curiously.

"When I ran away from that monster the first time, he caught me because my long hair had gotten caught in a thorn bush," explained Antares. "I cut it off before I tried to run again. What I cut off I actually donated to Locks of Love, y'know, that organization that makes wigs for kids who have to get chemotherapy."

"Oh yeah, I've donated to them before," said Trish, remembering. Antares nodded.

"I promised myself that I would someday, after a lot of people started telling me what beautiful hair I had," she said. "I figured, if I can't enjoy having long hair, at least someone who needs it will. 'Sides, I can always grow more; these kids can't."

"You did a wonderful thing," said Selene. She would've said more, but Mira and Sirius had appeared in the kitchen again.

"Time to go honey," Mira said to Antares. Looking at the Jenners, she added, "I'm sorry to dash out like this, but-"

"There's no need to explain," interrupted Selene with a gentle smile. "If it were one of my children, I'd do the same thing. You do what you have to." Mira smiled.

"We'll be home in a few hours," she said. "In the meantime, make yourselves at home, help yourselves to anything you need." Antares rose up off the futon. Trish smiled up at her.

"Good luck," she said. Antares smiled back.

"Thanks Trish," she said.

Antares was quiet on the ride to the hospital, even though she was sitting next to Darry. He noticed her silence, and correctly interpreted it as meaning there was something heavy weighing on her mind. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She gave him a weak, almost-smile, and didn't look up at him. Darry frowned; this wasn't like her. A song tugged at the back of his mind, one he had heard Trish playing during her Josh Groban music phase. Antares had several Josh Groban CDs in her small collection; Trish had told him so. Smiling as he mentally altered a few words and made a silent apology to his high school Spanish teacher, Darry began to sing gently:

"_And so, my love  
From my window I can see  
A beautiful vision  
And when the music plays  
Your body rises like a bird of grace_

Mi canuta_  
I saw you dancing in the rain  
Holy water  
Shining like a silver flame  
Come like a ghost  
I will watch you dance alone  
_Mi canuta  
_You're the light within my soul_

_And so, my love  
The way you're moving in your dress  
To a nylon guitar  
On wings of silk and lace  
You lift upon the notes and slip away_

Mi canuta  
_I saw you dancing in the rain  
Holy water  
Shining like a silver flame  
Come like a ghost  
I will watch you dance alone  
_Mi canuta_  
You're the light within my soul_

_Take this cross of feathers and bone  
Take this heart I've carved in stone  
In your name_

_And where the setting sun surrenders to the moon  
_Mi querida_  
I wait for you  
_

Mi canuta_  
I saw you dancing in the rain  
Holy water  
Shining like a silver flame  
Come like a ghost  
I will watch you dance alone  
_Mi canuta_  
You're the light within my soul_

Mi canuta_  
Hold your hands out to the night  
Be my lover  
I will fall into your eyes  
Sweet fire of love  
For you I'd steal the stars  
'Cus I adore you  
Oh, my _canuta…_"_

Antares smiled at Darry and snuggled against him. They sat thus in silence for the remainder of the drive. The doctor railed at Mira for a few minutes, asking Antares questions about how she was feeling in between rants. Finally Najmi admitted that Antares's "case" needed examination and showed them to the MRI chamber. For half an hour Antares lay in a big tube, unable to move her head because of the brace it was in, listening to machinery banging all around her while it took pictures of her insides. When she was taken out, her doctor's face had lost all colour.

"What is it?" she asked nervously. Dr. Najmi didn't answer; he just stared at her. "Dr. Najmi? Tell me what you saw!"

**A/N:** Haha, cliffie! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I've had a case of Writer's Block, and another fic that needs a new chapter stat (stat? whatever)so I'll keep working on it, OK?


	19. The Canker in the Heart of the Rose

The Canker in the Heart of the Rose

"Dr. Najmi? Tell me what you saw!" Antares didn't like the look on her doctor's face. He was staring at her as though he had just learned that she was a survivor of the Roswell crash. Irritated and a little freaked out, she snapped her fingers sharply in front of his face. Najmi blinked and drew back in surprise.

"Ah, yes, well, ahem," he said, obviously stalling.

"Doctor…" Antares said in a warning tone. Dr. Najmi sighed.

"Very well," he said. "It seems you were right about something being implanted into you to change your metabolism."

"Yeah, no shit," muttered Darry under his breath.

"In your case," Najmi continued, having not heard Darry, "it's a mutagenic pathogen. I'm very glad your mother convinced me to see you tonight, otherwise the damage may have elevated to an irreversible level."

"What damage?" demanded Antares warily.

"The pathogen has apparently been growing and developing for some time," explained the doctor. "It has come to its resting place where it is now thriving and preparing to multiply: it has settled on your heart." Antares gasped, horrified. Darry held her close, equally horrified.

"And what exactly does that mean?" Antares asked shakily when she recovered a bit.

"It means that we have to remove it immediately before it burrows into your heart and embeds itself in the heart lining permanently." Najmi received no response, as expected. "I've never seen anything like this before, but I know that it's not benign. I understand you're afraid, but you have to try and understand that I will do all that I can. But I have to try and remove this thing as soon as possible, maybe even tonight, before it does any more damage to your system." Antares just stared at him, looking uncomprehending. Finally, she nodded slowly and looked at her mother. Mira nodded as well. "Good. If I move some other appointments around, I'll be able to do this surgery tonight. Don't worry, Ana. I'm going to fix you right up." Antares didn't even attempt to smile.

"Just get this thing out of me," she said quietly. "You have no idea what this is, what it's doing, what it _will_ do. Just get it out and destroy it." Najmi nodded, but he still looked concerned.

"There's just one thing," he said hesitantly. "This operation is very risky, especially since you're so young."

"I don't care," said Antares flatly. "Even if something happens, as long as that thing is out of me it's better. I'm stronger than most people; I can handle any risks." Dr. Najmi was clearly reluctant, but he nodded.

"Then let's get you ready," he said with a sigh.

**_An hour and a half later…_**  
"Ana, are you sure about this?" 

"Darry, what else can we do? I can't let this thing take over me. I will _not_ become a monster like the Creeper." Antares now sat up in a hospital bed, dressed in an itchy and uncomfortable hospital gown, half-covered with a blanket, and hooked up to a heart monitor and white-blood-cell-counter thing. Darry leaned on the bed's frame next to her. Mira came in with them, gazing sadly at her daughter. Antares noticed and smiled gently. "I'll be OK Mom. I promise."

Mira sighed. "Ana, baby, I don't like this. It's so risky, and what if it doesn't work? Or what if something goes wrong?"

"It _will_ work," said Antares confidently, but Darry could see the fear in her eyes. He kissed her cheek, right in front of her mother, and took her hand.

"You'll be all right," he said. "I know it. I've seen your strength. You showed it to me when you stopped the Creeper from beating me. You leant it to me when we ran into the night in a last-ditch effort to get away from the monster. It's there. Trust in it." Antares smiled and kissed Darry on the nose.

"I trust in _you,"_ she said. "I trust in _us._ I _will_ see you again. I know it." The three amused themselves for a while playing Hangman, Tic-Tac-Toe, and other games you play on a scrap of paper someone dug out of their pocket. Antares discreetly took a small piece and wrote on it herself without the others noticing, closing it up in her hand as Dr. Najmi came in.

"We're ready," he said heavily. He put up the gates on the side of the bed and took hold of the back. Antares kissed her mother and Darry both before she was wheeled away.

Antares sighed as she watched the rooms go past. Dr. Najmi noticed her apprehension and patted her shoulder.

"You're gonna be fine," he assured her. Antares's mouth quirked downward a little, but she didn't respond. The doctor wheeled her into the O.R. and signaled to the nurses to hook her up to even _more_ machines while he lowered the bed so it was flat. When she was all hooked up and ready, one of the nurses put a mask over her nose and mouth.

"This'll take affect pretty quick, sweetie," she said gently. "Just relax and let yourself drift off. You'll wake up with your mom and your cute boyfriend. What's his name, anyway?"

All the while when she had been speaking, Antares had been breathing the anesthetic fumes in. The room went blurry and she felt dizzy. Smiling, she murmured, "Darry," before drifting off into "La-La Land", as her family physician called it (and when asked, he claimed that yes, it was a technical term).

"There's nothing to do now but hope," said Dr. Najmi. "Well, here goes."

* * *

Darry paced furiously up and down the hospital room reserved for Antares for nearly an hour before Mira gently pulled him to a seat. "You're wearing a rut in the floor," she informed him. "Ana will be fine. You'll see. They'll bring her out any minute now. Just wait, and don't think about it. We'll all be going home before you know it." She smiled encouragingly at Darry, and he tried to smile back. He could see the worry in Mira's eyes, but he didn't say so. Another hour passed, and another. Darry dozed on and off and Mira knitted. Finally Dr. Najmi came out, the nurses wheeling Antares. Their expressions were grim. Mira and Darry jumped up. 

"Well?" asked Mira earnestly. "How is she?"

"Frankly, I'm confounded," said Dr. Najmi wearily. "The operation was a success, but now she's withdrawn into herself. She's in a coma." Mira gave a wail and rushed to her daughter's side. "I have no idea why. The anesthetic should have worn off nearly an hour ago. I did a brain scan, and it seems that she's battling something in her mind, a hallucination or something." Darry's eyes widened in horror.

"The Creeper," he whispered, but no one heard him. Antares jerked slightly, her face contracted in consternation and fear. She jerked a few more times and was still. Her heart rate, which had accelerated when she had been jerking around, settled back to normal.

"Darry," said Dr. Najmi gently. Darry looked at him helplessly. "This was in Ana's hand when we wheeled her out. It's for you." He gave Darry the piece of paper Antares had written on. Puzzled and curious, Darry opened it. It read thus:

_'_A'maelamin **(my beloved)**  
_ If you're reading this, then something has gone wrong. I was afraid of this before, but I didn't tell you so as not to worry you. What I never told you about the Creeper's dining habits was that some times I didn't feel weakened by his feeding on me. That is because he fed me with his own soul. Remarkable that he even _has_ one, isn't it? His soul has been nourishing the pathogen he implanted in me, and it has established a malignant link between us, both mental and spiritual. If I am right, then I will be in a coma-like state trying to fight him off in my mind. However, I know I am not strong enough. Not alone. Darry, no doctor can help me now. You are my last hope. Buried three feet down in the sand, to the right of the third post from the water's edge on the left side of the boardwalk at the far end of the beach is a metal safe-box. In it is everything you'll need. I'm counting on you_, aratoamin** (my champion)**_. You're the only one who can help me.  
__  
With all the Love I possess,  
Antares_

Darry stared at the note for a moment, uncomprehending. Suddenly it hit him. Antares was introverted into her own mind battling off the Creeper, and he had to help her! Shoving the note in his pocket, he turned quickly to Mira.

"Mrs. Starr, I have to go back to the house," he said quickly. Mira just stared at him. "I know how this sounds, but Antares is withdrawn into her mind fighting off the Creeper himself, and she can't last much longer. In her note she told me where to find something that'll help me save her, but I have to go back to the house and get it. Please, Mrs. Starr. For Ana." Mira stared at him a little more, then her gaze softened and she nodded, handing him her car keys. "Thank you Mrs. Starr." He looked at Antares for a moment before looking back to Mira. "I don't care what it take to keep her strong, but do it. Hold her hand, talk to her, tell her I'm on my way, anything. But don't you let her lose this battle before I get back!"


	20. Of Two Minds

**A/N: Andrea **– Aawww, that's so sweet! Get ready for a hug girl, 'cus I gotta hug ya! (hugz Andrea) BTW, I hope I'm not taking the fantasy aspect of the story to an extreme here, but it seemed like a good idea to me.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own the "Phantom of the Opera" character I've borrowed here (without any intent of returning ;-))

Of Two Minds

Miraculously, Darry wasn't pulled over for speeding in his mad rush to get back to the beach house. He ran clean around the house to the path down to the beach and bolted for the boardwalk. He dropped and slid to the third post from the water's edge on the left side of the boardwalk like a baseball player sliding into home, and immediately began digging furiously in the dry sand with his bare hands. His nails soon scraped the surface of a metal box, which he yanked fiercely out of the ground and opened. Inside was a piece of old parchment with a message on it written in dark red ink in an old-fashioned script:

_'To Whom It May Concern_

_If you've unearthed this box, then you're either a treasure hunter with a metal detector or I told you to find it. If the latter is true, then I am in great danger, for my mind has been invaded. If that is the case, then read carefully. This box contains herbs and drugs that, when blended properly and burned, will give off a cloud of smoke that you, my rescuer, and I must inhale. When this is done, you will slip into a dream-like state and be able to enter my mind on the spiritual plane. Assuming I am not already in such I state, I too will slip into one. From there, I cannot guide you. I can only tell you this: you may trust the man in the white mask._

_I'm counting on you,_

_Antares Joyce Starr_

Darry stared at the note for a moment, not understanding. Antares expected him to enter her _mind?_ That wasn't possible! Then again, anything was possible with Antares…putting the note back in the box, Darry snapped the lid shut and took off again for the house. He threw himself into the car and sped back to the hospital, bringing the box to Antares's room.

"Well?" asked Mira earnestly. "What did you find?"

"This," answered Darry, showing her the box. Mira took it and read the note within. When she was finished, she looked at Darry blankly.

"She can't be serious," Mira objected. "This isn't possible!"

"Anything's possible with Ana," replied Darry. "I don't know what she means about a man in a white mask, but I don't care. I trust her." With that, he moved a small table situated between Antares's bed and another unoccupied one right up next to Antares's bed. That done, he moved the other bed up next to the table on the other side. He found another note in the box with instructions for using the herbs and drugs in the box. He mixed them together carefully in a bowl on the table. When he was finished and was sure that he had done everything right, he took out a matchbox from the box and turned to Mira. "I know this is hard to believe, but you have to trust her. I need you to light this stuff with a match after I lie down, and make sure both Ana and I both breathe it in. Please, Mrs. Starr. For Ana."

Mira sighed and nodded. "For Ana," she agreed. Darry lay down on the bed and Mira lit the powdered concoction with a match, fanning the smoke in both directions. Darry leaned over and breathed it in deeply, looking up to make sure Antares was breathing it in too. He made a small moaning sound as the room started to spin and grow hazy. He fell back against the pillows, his whole body sluggish and growing numb. His eyes closed slowly and refused to open again. He could feel himself leaving his body, becoming weightless. Just before he lost all sense of things, he heard Mira whisper, "Save Ana." Then everything just stopped.

* * *

When Darry came to himself, he was lying, to his abject surprise, on a grassy hill under an enormous tree. The air was warm, and a light breeze blew. Yellow and black butterflies flitted about the flowers around him. The meadow stretched on forever with nothing beyond it. Darry looked around, confused, wondering where he was. He heard a small sigh and looked up. A little girl of no more than five or six was standing near him. She was rather cute, with light brown hair in braids with pink ribbons, sparkling green eyes, a sweet, smiling mouth, and a little button nose. Her dress was also pink, with white lace, and she wore shiny white shoes with frilly pink socks. She giggled at Darry and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi," said Darry. The girl smiled.

"Nice weather…isn't it?" she asked.

"Very nice," agreed Darry. He looked around again and looked back at the girl. "Where are we?" Again the child giggled.

"We're _here,_ silly," she said.

"Yes, but where _is_ here?" asked Darry. "I was supposed to be helping someone…Ana…"

"Antares?" asked the girl.

"Yes! You know her?" asked Darry earnestly.

The child gave a light little laugh. _"I'm_ Antares. I like to be called 'Ana', though." Darry blinked, baffled, then he understood.

"Oh, you're Antares when she was a little girl," he said.

"Right!" said little Ana, thrilled. "Do you wanna play with me?"

"I'm afraid I can't," said Darry as gently as he could. "You see, big Antares is really sick, and I have to help her. Can you help me find her?"

"Sure can!" piped little Ana, obviously delighted to be able to help. "Just climb the tree and follow the road and you'll find her." Darry looked up the massive tree.

"Thanks a lot," he said to the little girl, ruffling her hair affectionately. Little Ana giggled again and skipped off. Darry found the tree quite easy to climb, with many branches sticking out around the bottom to grab and climb on. But the tree seemed to go up much higher than it looked from the bottom, for Darry found himself climbing a long time. He realized with a shock that the tree was gradually twisting into an iron ladder, which he scrambled up quickly. He reached the top and expected to see Antares, but he didn't. Instead he saw a massive river of lava with rocky projections shooting out of it. Darry's only way to cross was to jump from projection to projection and hope he didn't fall. He turned back to the ladder, only to find it was gone.

_'These must be Ana's mental defenses,'_ he thought gravely. Antares had once told him that her mind was her last sanctuary, and she would allow none to violate it. She had learned to lock her mind from unwanted "visitors". Darry had no choice but to cross if he wanted to help Antares. He climbed up the first projection and tried to judge the distance between it and the next one. It seemed that he could make it, but he was still wary. He walked back slowly 'til he found the edge. Then, with a running start, he leaped at the next projection and landed on it quite easily, much more easily, he thought, than it should have been. He saw that the projections seemed to be moving closer together to give him a safer jumping distance. Antares knew he was there and was trying to grant him access to her mind. With the projections closer, Darry cleared them one after the other quickly and easily. Too easily. He got cocky, thoughtless. He ran from projection to projection without stopping to catch his footing. As a result, he slipped jumping to the last protrusion and missed, falling to the swirling, boiling lava below him. At that point, he did the only rational thing anyone in his predicament could have done.

He screamed bloody murder.

A voice in his mind, a male voice, whispered, _"Breathe deep. It's not over yet."_ Uncertain, but with nothing left to do, Darry stopped yelling and took a deep breath. And not a moment too soon. He never hit the lava. Instead, Darry landed in very cold, dark water. He swam up to the surface and gasped in a gulp of air, looking around for a way out. He was not given that leisure, however. A metallic _clang!_ from above caught his attention. He looked up and saw that a huge metal grate was lowering down over the water and would either crush him or pin him under and drown him. He looked around frantically, and noticed a valve of some sort under the water. Taking in a deep breath, he plunged under and tried to turn it. He tried to turn it to the right, but it wouldn't budge. He grew desperate; he was running out of air and time. Steeling himself, reminding himself why he was doing this, he turned again with all his strength. This time the wheel turned and the grate that had been lowering now started to rise up again. Darry shot to the surface and grabbed hold of the grate, letting it pull him out of the water as he tried to catch his breath. He saw a narrow opening in the wall and swam to it, climbing out of the cold pool. Water dripped from every part of him, but at least he was alive and one step closer to Antares. But where was she? How many more defenses did he have to pass before he found her? Would it be too late by that time? Suddenly he caught sight of a dark, handsome man dressed in old-fashioned dress clothes, a black cloak, and a white mask over half his face. Darry blinked in surprise. This must be the man Antares meant in her note. Who was he, though?

_'More important, does he know how to find Ana?'_ thought Darry. Weakly he started to call out, but the man raised his hand for silence.

"Come," he said in a very beautiful voice with a strong tinge of sadness to it. "Follow me." Darry nodded and followed after him. Unfortunately, he was weakened a bit from his little "adventures" in getting this far, and couldn't keep up. He lost his mysterious guide after the fourth or fifth turn. However, he wondered if he _had_ actually lost him, because he heard something coming from around the next turn: Antares's voice. She was moaning, crying out in pain and fear. Teeth clenched in fury, renewed strength flowing through him, Darry made his way around the turn, looking ahead to see what was going on.

Antares lay on the ground, battered and weak, her arm out to fend the Creeper off, a look of extreme worry on her face. She had obviously been battling the Creeper long and hard; both were covered with bruises, cuts, and other marks. But Antares's strength was only human, and it was failing. She pushed herself to her feet, only to be struck down again by the Creeper. Darry's hands clenched in fury, and one of the closed around something heavy and he heard the sound of metal on stone. He looked down and saw that he was now holding a powerful-looking sword with black roses etched into the blade. That strange male voice, which he recognized now as the masked man's voice, said to him, _"This is Antares's faerie tale. You are her hero, and the hero must have his sword."_

"Right," said Darry confidently to himself. "I promised I'd save her." Readying the sword in his hand, though he wasn't sure how exactly to wield it, he came into the light. The Creeper had just raised his hand to strike Antares again, but Darry struck first, slicing the Creeper's hand clean off. The monster howled in pain and rage, turning on Darry furiously. When he saw that it was Darry, however, he laughed cruelly.

"So your hero has come to save you again, Antares," he sneered. "Can't you do anything for yourself?"

"Don't talk to her," snarled Darry. The Creeper laughed again.

"Oho! It seems the hero has developed a backbone as of late!" the monster cackled gleefully. "You'll find, however, that I am more formidable than you in your selfish egotism have allowed yourself to think. I have been feeding of Antares's soul energy for twenty-three days, and I continue to feed from her as long as she lives. I am stronger than I ever was. And you, young fool, will die now." He lunged at Darry, but Darry dodged away and slashed the beast furiously. The Creeper roared in pain and rage, turning and lunging again.

"You'll find that I, too, am stronger than _you've_ allowed _yourself_ to think!" said Darry triumphantly. Antares, he saw, was on her feet and watching them, leaning against the wall for support. She looked badly beaten. The Creeper must have done it in an effort to break her mind open to him. Well, Darry wasn't going to let that happen. He slashed, he stabbed, he struck again and again, but still the Creeper came. Suddenly Darry remembered Antares's oath of retribution:

"I'm going to destroy it. I will dismember it, burn its pieces to ashes, and bury them across the continent and see if it can live and terrorize that way."

_'It can't!'_ thought Darry excitedly. With renewed ambition, he slashed first at the monster's legs to make it fall, and then sliced off its head. The body fell to the ground, arms flailing, searching for its lost head. Antares gave a small cry, but didn't move. Darry wasn't finished yet, however. He hacked off the Creeper's arms, then its legs, then chopped it into pieces with his sword, a roar growing in his throat and working its way up into his mouth and out his lips, growing louder and louder with each stroke, until he suddenly fell back, the sword dropping out of his hand. He fell into Antares's arms and they both sank to the floor, exhausted. The evil-smelling dungeon they were in twisted and morphed around them, leaving them in a magnificent bedroom fit for a medieval princess. The two were sitting on the huge, soft bed together, and both looked around.

"What…what happened?" asked Darry thickly. "Are we dead?"

"No, we're not," replied Antares sleepily, smiling a little. "This is my mind at peace. This is where I go when I meditate. This is truly a good place, and I welcome you to it." She looked at Darry and smiled. "Thank you, Darry. You've saved me. See, even now I am healing." She held her arms out so Darry could see that yes, her wounds were mending already. "But I am weary, as are we both. It takes an incredible amount of energy and concentration to join minds like this, and it's more than doubly hard if there's a battle being fought in one. We both need to rest. Yes, it's all thanks to you, my champion." Darry smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"Is this all…real?" he asked.

"It is and it isn't," Antares answered, smiling brighter than before. "It depends on what you mean by 'real'. This isn't a fantasy or a daydream, but it isn't happening outside of me. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," said Darry. "I do."

"Then lie down with me and sleep," said Antares, sliding under the silken sheets and velvet comforters of the bed. Darry did likewise, sighing at the delicious comfort he found himself surrounded by. "You're too far away," whispered Antares.

"I'm right here," replied Darry sleepily. "I'm not leaving you."

"Hold me," said Antares softly. "Let us become one, you and I, together. I love you, Darry." Darry smiled and held her close, but not too tightly, nestling his face in her hair.

"I love you, my Starr," he whispered. He closed his eyes, only for an instant, it seemed. He opened them again when he felt himself moving. The man in the white mask was carrying him.

"Don't be afraid of me, Darius," he said gently. "Antares told you to trust me."

"I know," said Darry. He looked around. "Where is she? Where are you taking me?"

"She is resting still," said the man. "She lost much strength in the fight, and will need to rest for a while. And I'm taking you back."

"Back-?" echoed Darry, uncomprehending.

"Back to your body," explained the man.

"Can't I stay with her just a little longer?" asked Darry, though he knew he could not.

"I truly wish you could," said the man, smiling a little sadly. "But you've stayed almost too long already. You'll still be with her, though." Darry looked unconvinced, but he didn't argue.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to make the question sound polite.

"I am Antares's subconscious. Her imaginary friend, as it were," replied the masked man. "My name is Erik."

"Nice to meet you," said Darry, more for the sake of being polite and avoiding an awkward silence.

"Under the circumstances, likewise," replied Erik. "Now, you need to rest. I will care for Antares, and she will answer your questions later. You've been through a lot tonight."

"Yeah," said Darry softly. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to completely destroy the Creeper, but-"

"Not the Creeper, dear boy, you! The effort involved nearly killed you."

"What?"

"You love Antares so much that that love built up inside you and fueled your already formidable strength. Your power elevated to an almost uncontainable level and nearly overwhelmed you. Now rest." Erik laid Darry down in a bed he could not see and smiled gently at him. "I like you, Darius. You make my Antares very happy. I've never seen her so happy before. Take good care of her."

"I will," said Darry softly, starting to drift off. "I promise I will."

* * *

When Darry woke, Antares was just waking as well. She turned her head, not even trying to lift it, and smiled at Darry, who smiled back. Several hours had passed since Darry first entered Antares's mind, and the herbal powder was now nothing but ashes.

"My hero," said Antares softly. "You saved me."

"No," said Darry simply. "I love you. That's what saved you." Antares's smile widened just a little.

"You'll have to tell me all about it," she said softly. "But later. For now-" she leaned up as much as she could and said, "Nurse? Could you please move our beds closer together?" the nurse who was in the room nodded with a smile and pushed the beds right next to each other, taking down the upper gates so the two could move closer. Mira came up on Antares's other side and smiled at them.

"Darry, you are a hero," she said. "I don't know what you did, but you saved my little girl. Everyone's on their way here to see you two, but you two get some sleep. You need it, and you deserve it." both children smiled up at her.

"I love you Mom," said Antares. Mira smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek. Then she went around and kissed Darry's.

"Sleep tight, both of you," she said gently and turned and sat in a chair a ways away.

"You're too far away," Antares whispered. Darry smiled and slipped his hand in Antares's.

"I'm right here," he replied. "I'm not leaving you." Antares smiled back and squeezed his hand lovingly. Exhausted, but happy, the lovers fell sound asleep.

**A/N:** IT'S NOT OVER YET! Don't you worry, I'm not done with these two!


	21. Elysium

**A/N:** I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, but I've had a bit of Writer's Block concerning this story. BTW, if you want to see Antares's gown, it's at TheDarkAngel dot co dot uk under Gowns. It's the Damselle Dress.

Elysium

Darry vaguely remembered waking for a moment to see Mrs. Starr telling the nurse she wanted to take him and Antares home. Both of their families were there now, his parents and Trish, and Rigel and Mr. Starr. Antares slept still, on her side facing him, her hand still around his. He smiled and closed his eyes, only dimly aware of being lifted and carried away.

When he came to again, Antares was waking beside him on the futon bed where they lay, and the last light of early evening was shining on them gently through the great bay window. Antares smiled at Darry and he smiled back. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. By and by, they both yawned, stretched, and sat up. Antares broke the silence first:

"I wonder where everyone is?"

"Good question. It might have something to do with these," Darry replied, reaching over and touching two neatly folded piles of clothes on the end of the bed. There was a note pinned carefully to the pile on Antares's side, which Darry unpinned and handed to her. Antares took it and read it aloud:

" _'Kids  
When you wake up, get dressed and come down to the beach. Sirius is making barbeque for dinner.__  
Love,  
Mira' "_

Puzzled, Antares looked at Darry, who shrugged.

"I guess this means we get dressed," he said, taking what he assumed was his pile of clothes. Antares did likewise with hers. "Um, am I missing something here?"

"If you are, then I'm missing it too," replied Antares, equally confused. Their clothes had been replaced with costumes from the Renaissance period. They looked at each other blankly. Antares shrugged. "I'm assuming there's a reason for this weirdness. We might as well get dressed."

"OK," said Darry. The two turned their backs to each other and dressed. Antares was finished first and rose, twirling a couple times and smiling. She wore a stunning dress is made from a high quality black panne velvet. The contrasting front panel was in rich wine shot silk velvet. Each side of the front panel was trimmed with an ornate black braid. The braiding is laced under the bust area with a pretty satin ribbon. The sweetheart neckline was also trimmed with the same ornate braiding. The sleeves were just beautiful; the top sleeve was made from black velvet and fully lined in contrasting satin to match the front panel, while the under sleeve was in a stretch lace, tightly fitted and coming to a point over the hand. The point of the sleeve was trimmed with a tiny satin rosebud. She found a brush and brushed out her white hair, wiggling her bare toes in the soft carpet.

"How's it coming, Dare?" she asked, careful not to look at him in case he wasn't finished.

"Well, I feel silly," said Darry, rising and turning to Antares for her judgment. She turned to him and smiled.

"Silly?" she repeated. "I think you look great." Darry smiled. He wore a loose-fitting shirt, the front of which featured a stand up collar and an open lace up neck. The neck was laced up with cord through silver eyelets. The open neck featured lace-trimmed frills that 'waterfalled' down the front. The sleeves were baggy and gathered at the wrist onto a lace cuff. Over this he wore a waistcoat of deep red satin and a black jacket. Long black pants and low-heeled black dress boots completed the ensemble.

"You look amazing," he said. "Like a dark princess or something." Antares smiled and, walking around to his side of the futon, kissed his cheek.

"Come on," she said. "They're waiting for us." Hand-in-hand they walked down the wooden sidewalk to the beach. By now it was getting dark, but there were coloured lights along the sides of the path, which hadn't been there before. There were lights burning down on the beach as well, and faint sounds coming up to them: music. Curious, the two hastened their steps, wondering what was going on. They had no sooner set foot on the beach when

_"Surprise!"_

Both of their families, and Antares's friends and their boyfriends jumped out from the shrubs and bushes around them. Antares and Darry jumped in surprise, but grinned. Everyone was dressed like they were, in Renaissance-styled clothes. But Darry and Antares were dressed the best, like a prince and princess at court, or a grand ball. The latter was closer to the truth, actually. Their families had set up a grand party for them on the beach, with lights strung up all around, food set out on tables, and a stereo playing music. Everyone started to dance, and Darry and Antares joined right in, spinning, jumping, laughing wildly. They stopped for a while to eat dinner on picnic tables that had been set up, but the music kept playing in the background. As soon as they had finished eating, everyone was up and dancing again, this time to slower music. Antares smiled as she gazed into Darry's eyes, her hands on his shoulders, his on her waist as he smiled back at her. Gently, without a word, Darry pulled Antares closer. She slid her arms around his neck as she moved towards him. Lovingly, Darry tilted her chin up. Their lips met. Darry slid his arms around Antares, holding her tight. Antares slid one arm around his shoulders, the other hand going up to the back of his head. In that moment, they each knew all the happiness the world could offer.

* * *

Elysium. That's where they were for the remainder of the week, passing a wild and wonderful four or five days together. Elysium. That's where they were when they kissed, tasting all the sweetness of their love for each other until they nearly cried with joy. Elysium. That's where they were when they fell asleep on the beach together, nestled safe in each others' arms, no fear of monsters permeating their dreams, invading their peace. Elysium. They said the word, and it felt right. That's where they were whenever they were together. Antares nearly cried when Darry and his family finally had to leave. Her parents had flown them back to the police station where their car was, and the time of separation was upon them. She and Darry held each other tight, never wanting to let go. 

"I _will_ see you again," promised Darry.

"I know," said Antares. "But I'll miss you so much." She squeezed Darry lovingly.

"I'll call you and IM you and write you every day," said Darry. Antares laughed softly. They had exchanged all available contact information, promising to stay in touch.

"I have something for you," said Antares, drawing back a little and taking something from her pocket. It was a dark pewter talisman on a black cord, carved with strange symbols. "It's a talisman to destroy evil and protect its bearer. Wear it when you think of me." Darry smiled and put the talisman around his neck.

"I'll never take it off," he said. "Never." Antares smiled.

"Darry? It's time to go," said Trish gently. Darry nodded sadly.

_"Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au', mela en' coiamin._ **My heart shall weep until it sees thee again, love of my life**," he said softly, _"Amin mela lle, Tingilya._** I love you, Twinkling Star.**" Antares smiled. She had been teaching Darry Elvish all week and he had learned fast.

_"Lle naa belegohtar, Taurnil. Oio naa elealla alasse'._ **You are a mighty warrior, Darius. Ever is thy sight a joy**," she said. _"Lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva a'maelamin._ **Sweet water and light laughter 'til we meet next, my beloved**." They kissed on the lips, and noticed that Trish and Rigel were doing likewise. Smiling, they kissed again and again, until the Jenner adults sadly broke them up and loaded their children into their car. Antares blew Darry a last kiss and waved and waved to him until the car was out of sight. She couldn't wait for the summer; Darry and Trish were coming to the house on the beach to spend at least a month with them. Antares missed Darry already, as soon as he was out of her sight.

_'Please…just one last kiss?'_


	22. Kiss GoodBye

Kiss Good-Bye

So much happened to Darry and Antares after their parting. They kept close contact, e-mailing and IMing each other every day. However, as time went on and Darry graduated college and started searching for a career and Antares entered college, they had less and less time to talk to each other, though they wrote each other often. Seven years passed, and for the last year they had had no contact at all, save for their letters, and even those came with less frequency. Darry entered into entertainment business, and soon became a pretty big-name record dealer. Antares captured the hearts of many with her voice, doing small gigs here and there but with no real career, as she was just out of college. They were each thrilled for the other's success, and even more so when Darry heard that Antares was set up to meet with a record dealer/producer who could make her a star.

"You're doing it," he told her. "You're living your dream."

Meanwhile, Darry had a new fresh face coming in to see him soon, a young woman who sang with a voice that put the angels to shame he was told. The day she was supposed to meet with him, he received a good-sized, rather squishy package. Curious, he opened it at his desk and found…his yellow Bannon T-shirt, cleaned and repaired to look brand-new, the hole in the stomach sewn up, the torn sleeve reattached, the filth and grim washed away.

"Oh my God," he whispered, holding the lost relic. His head snapped up when he heard the door open, and a beautiful woman with a thick braid of moon-white hair down to the small of her back walked in. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him.

"Darry?" she croaked, her eyes wide with joy and disbelief. _"A'maelamin? _Is it you?"

"Ana…" Darry whispered back, unable to blink for fear that she would disappear if he closed his eyes even for an instant. He reached for the talisman he always wore around his neck, the one Antares had given him that long-ago summer to protect him. "My sweet Ana, my savior, my full moon…it's you!" With cries holding all the joy the world had ever known, the two leaped into each others arms, laughing and kissing ecstatically, babbling on and on about nothing of any importance.

The rest went like a modern faerie-tale: Darry made Antares a superstar celebrity singer before marrying her. They traveled all around the world for Antares's concerts and tours, but lived when they could in North Carolina, in the house on the beach. They had two children, Erik, the elder, and Aidan, the younger. Born a year apart, the two boys were very fond of each other and dearly loved their parents, who dearly loved them in return. The boys never knew just how their parents had met, or what had bonded them so close together. All they cared about was that their parents loved each other more than they thought was possible, and loved their sons the same.

_**22 years, 2 months, 20 days later…**_

"Going somewhere?"

Antares smiled grimly to herself but didn't turn when she heard her husband's voice. "It's time, Darry. Time to do what I swore that I would do. It's our anniversary, Darry, and I don't mean our wedding."

Darry nodded. "I know. You're going to destroy it. I'm going with you." Antares looked at him now, curious.

"But what about the children?" she asked.

"Erik's fourteen now," said Darry, "and Aidan's thirteen. They're mature enough to take care of themselves. Besides, Trish and Rigel can watch them. You know how much our boys love their aunt and uncle, and their cousins." Antares smiled. Rigel and Trish had married several years before she and Darry had, and they were very happy together.

"You're right," she said. "And you have as much of a right to do this as I do. All right. Give 'em a call."

"Already did," said Darry with his old impish grin that he had never lost. "Yesterday. They'll be here any minute now."

Antares laughed. "You think of everything, don't you?" She turned back to the family chopper, making sure there was enough fuel for a round-trip flight to Ohio. She and Darry had kept contact with Jack Jr. as well, and Antares knew where he and his father were with the Creeper now. "That should just about do it," she said, stepping back. She looked at Darry. "I'm ready whenever our siblings arrive." She gazed out over the water and out of the corner of her eye noticed a car pull up in the driveway. "That must be them." Taking Darry's hand, the two walked downstairs to greet their siblings and bid farewell to their sons. There were warm, loving welcomes made all around when Trish and Rigel entered, smiling. They knew what Antares and Darry planned to do, and were in full support of them.

"No horror stories for the boys, OK?" Darry whispered to them as they embraced. Rigel and Trish, understanding perfectly what he meant, nodded their agreement. "It's great to see you again," he said in a normal tone.

"So where are you going, Mom?" Erik asked Antares.

"To visit a rather old friend whom we haven't seen in a long time," replied Antares. "Maybe you'll meet him someday, if I can convince him to come up here for a visit." Erik smiled.

"Oh, we thought it was another performance or something," said Aidan.

"Oh honey, you know we always take you guys with us for those," said Antares with a light little laugh. She smiled with pride as she gazed at her beautiful boys. They both had her emerald eyes that twinkled with laughter and sparkled with mischievousness, and her porcelain skin as well. But they had their father's soft, dark brown hair. Erik wore his long, like his father. Aidan cut it shorter. Their smiles were a mix of their father's and mother's with an added element that was all their own. It warmed Antares's heart to look at her boys, her family. Her life was nearly perfect with one tiny flaw in it, like a hairline crack in a Ming vase. Well, that crack was about to be sealed.

Two and a half hours later, Darry and Antares were on the infamous East 9 highway, driving down to find their old friends. It took them about an hour, but they finally came upon the old farm Jack Sr. and his son ran, the farm where the monster's carcass now hung on display for all to see. Five dollars for a picture, if you don't mind. Well, Antares and Darry were not interested in pictures. They had seen enough of the Creeper to last them a lifetime. They were going there for something very different.

They parked their rented car and headed up to the man standing at the top of the driveway. He was prepared to give his rehearsed speech about the creature, when he saw who his visitors were. All words dried up in his throat.

"Darry?" he asked. "Darry Jenner and Antares Starr?" The two smiled at him.

"Actually, it's _Mrs._ Antares Jenner," Antares corrected him. She hugged him warmly, and he and Darry shook hands. "It's been a long time, Jack. I trust you and your father have everything in order still?"

"Of course," said Jack. "It's in the barn. This way." The friends shared their lives with each other as they walked until they reached the barn where Jack Sr. sat beside a harpoon gun with a shotgun in his lap facing the body of the Creeper, which hung on the wall. He didn't turn when he heard their footsteps approaching.

"We have visitors, Dad," said Jack Jr.

"Come to hear the story of the Creeper, doubtless," replied Jack Sr., "and how I killed it?"

"Please, we know that tale better than you do," said Antares. Jack Sr. straightened in his chair.

"I know that voice," he said. "If I live forever, I'll never forget _that_ voice." He turned in his chair now to face the trio. "Antares. Darry." He smiled. "So you've come back at last. It's nice to see you two well."

"It's nice to see you too," said Darry. Jack noticed the gleam of their wedding bands on their fingers and smiled more broadly.

"So you two got married after all," he said. "I always hoped you would. Minxie – the girl from the school bus – married Jackie here." Jack Jr. smiled. "I take it you've come with a purpose?"

"Didn't I swear I would?" replied Antares. "I never go back on my oaths. That you can trust me for."

"Well, I've made a pretty penny off displaying that thing's sorry carcass in my barn the last twenty-three years," said Jack Sr. "I've been saving it for you. Take it down, Jackie. Have at it, Ana." Antares smiled.

"Thank you, Jack," she said as Jack Jr. took down the body of the Creeper, laying it out on the floor for Antares. "May I borrow that?" she asked, pointing to a large axe leaning against the wall.

"By all means," said Jack Jr. handing it to her.

"Much obliged," Antares replied, taking the weapon and advancing on the monster. A look of pure hatred passed over her face as she remembered all the horror and pain that monster had put her and those she loved through, not to mention countless others. She had never forgotten Billy or Jason. Arms trembling with fury, she raised the axe.

"Take _that,_ thou winged spawn of Satan!" she roared, bringing the axe down to cleft the beast in half. "Die, devil-bird!" She hacked its body to pieces: hands, feet, arms, legs…limbs were falling down all over. There was no blood, however, only a sandy, grainy substance rustled out instead. Antares chopped the body into as many pieces as she could, but she saved the head for last, slicing it clean off and leaving it whole. She held it up by its stringy white hair, triumphant, grinning. "Now let's see you prey on innocent people! Now let's see you _eat!_ Not this spring, you don't, not this spring! Wait another twenty-three years; maybe then!" She cackled with insane glee, and Darry began to worry that she had gone too far. But Antares composed herself and dropped the head irreverently on the ground as she walked back to Darry, embracing him tightly.

"No more nightmares now, Darry," she said softly. "Now at last we can sleep in peace."

"Yes," said Darry, holding her. Both father and son Jack let them have their moment before Jack Sr. ventured to speak:

"If you want, we'll put what's left in the incinerator and burn it to ashes."

Antares nodded. "But not the head. That I want to bury myself." Jack Jr. nodded and gathered up the pieces to be burned. Once that was done Jack Sr. offered the couple some lemonade, which they accepted. The four spent a good amount of time reminiscing, talking about what had happened in their lives, and such. No one mentioned the Creeper in any reference. After a few hours, Darry and Antares had to leave. Jack Jr. promised to burn up the mutilated body and throw the ashes to the wind. Antares embraced him and his father warmly, and the four parted as friends.

"Stop here," said Antares when they passed the burned-out remains of the old church, where everything had started. Darry did as she asked, and Antares climbed out of the car with the severed head. She dropped down into the pit that had once been the basement…the Creeper's "House of Pain". With her bare pianist's hands, Antares dug into the charred and ashy earth, digging a grave for the monster. When she had done, she dropped the beast's head into the hole and buried it, cursing the tiny grave for all time. Finished, her mind and heart finally at peace, she returned to Darry's side. He held her close and they kissed deeply. When they broke apart, they smiled into each other's eyes.

"Come on," said Darry. "Let's go home to our kids."

"Mmm, I _love_ hearing those word," Antares purred. " 'Our kids'. I always wanted kids of my own. You've given me so much: my freedom, my strength, my courage, your love, your strength…and now _our_ kids. A gift we can share."

"Along with our hearts," said Darry, fingering the talisman he still wore. "How I love you." They kissed again and returned to the police station where they had landed their chopper again. They were eager to return home again and bask in the knowledge that there was nothing out there that could hurt them or those they loved now.

* * *

And so ends the saga of Darry and Antares's trials and tribulations. Now I, the humble narrator, can also find rest. But what of the monstrous Creeper? Well…that's a tale for another time. Good night to all, and remember: every twenty-third spring, for twenty-three days…well, you know the rest.

- FIN -


End file.
